OPINION
With new Rangers boss Steven Gerrard taking his first foray in the dugout with his stint at Ibrox, it can be expected that he may well make a mistake or two during the first few months.
On the pitch, there has been very little for the Light Blue faithful to complain about, with some seriously exciting signings and good performances which have translated themselves into decent results, especially in their crucial Europa League qualifiers.
Off the pitch, he has also conducted himself as well as can be expected – although last week saw him show his naivety when discussing the sending off of Alfredo Morelos’ red card against Aberdeen.
Even though the dismissal was subsequently reduced to a yellow card, his comments – quoted by the Independent as saying “the world is against us” and that “it looks like some more decisions will go against us as the season goes on” – appeared to be a veiled dig at the officiating, a big no-no for managers.
With the Gers having been handed yet another red, this time for Ross McCrorie in a flashpoint against St Mirren during the Light Blues’ 2-0 win, it appears as though Gerrard has swiftly learned a key lesson, stating to the Scotsman: “Again, we’ve gone down to 10 men. I thought that was the correct decision. The referee got that one right.
“The response from my team, every single one of them rolled their sleeves up and did what they had to do.
“The sending-off was completely different to last week when we felt hard done by, said our piece and got justice in terms of the decision being overturned.”
Praising referee Don Robdertson, while addressing last week’s controversy, is a good way to stay onside of the SPFA and their officials, and shows that the early naivety is being replaced by savvy speaking.
A good start for Gerrard – will he keep his cool when the going gets tough though?