A little over 24 hours ago, it was believed that Steven Gerrard was on his way to becoming the Rangers manager again. Now, there is complete uncertainty about who will replace Russell Martin on the Ibrox hot seat. But it clearly won't be the Liverpool legend, who has turned down the opportunity. Why did he not one to take up the challenge of getting the better of Brendan Rodgers and Celtic a second time?
One would think that Gerrard would jump at the chance to return to Ibrox. He has failed in his two stints at Aston Villa and Al-Ettifaq. So, there is very little chance that top clubs would be trying to appoint him anytime soon.
On paper, a return to Ibrox feels like a chance to get his managerial career back on track at a place where he would be given time to succeed. Last time around, they waited three years for his first trophy. So, why did he say no?
Henry Winter was asked if money was the reason Gerrard turned down the job. The journalist replied:
"If I know one thing about Steven Gerrard is he's not driven by money. He's driven by the possibility of trophies, and working conditions that lead to that end."
Celtic fans will love real reason Steven Gerrard rejected Rangers
It is not tough to read between the lines on that one. But then again, was not Gerrard managing Al-Ettifaq not too long ago? Did they have aa real chance of winning trophies?
Probably. They did sign some decent names. We cannot honestly say that we were following the club week in, week out though.
Now, is that a suggestion that the Rangers do not have the conditions right now to win trophies? Well, recent history would suggest that that is the case. Not many has actually won silverware consistently there.
Pete O'Rourke made an interesting claim regarding the situation. As reported by Football Insider, he said:
"He needed to see that the ambitions of Rangers match his own as well, because I don’t think he will take anything lightly in these talks.
“He would need to be convinced that it’s the right job for him, or he might be content to sit and wait to see what other opportunities come along later on in the year or next season."
Gerrard won a league in three-plus years at Ibrox. Giovanni van Bronckhorst won the Scottish Cup. And Philippe Clement won the League Cup. Just for comparison, Neil Lennon won a treble at Celtic. That is the difference between the clubs, despite how many things the Hoops have gotten wrong.
The public reasoning given for Gerrard turning down the offer is that he did not feel the timing was right. But there might very well have been more to it behind the scenes.