WHEN Steven Gerrard walks out at Pittodrie he’ll feel the difference. The phoney war is over. This is where it gets serious for the rookie Rangers boss. Gerrard must deliver for the Ibrox boardPA:Press Association Sure, he’s navigated an early path beyond Shkupi and Osijek, but he won’t be judged on what Rangers do in Europe. With the best will in the world, the Ibrox outfit are not going to win the Europa League. Right now, European football is a bonus for a club who haven’t played in that arena for seven years. If he can get Gers into the group stage and earn the club a few quid, he’ll have done well. Rangers have progressed through two rounds of the Europa LeagueWillie Vass But his real proving ground will be in the bread and butter of domestic competition. For all the criticism of this Ibrox board — much of it deserved — they’ve gone the extra mile for Gerrard. Not only have they found the cash for ten signings, they’ve managed to get most of Pedro Caixinha’s mercenaries off the books as well. For Dave King’s regime, it amounts to a major punt on Gerrard. But something has changed since the Liverpool icon took control at the beginning of June. Back then, the talk was of finishing above Aberdeen. Expectations were low after Rangers had limped in third, 12 points behind Celtic. Not now. The financial outlay on players coupled with promising early results has raised the bar big time for Gerrard. Fans are now expecting Stevie G to give Brendan Rodgers a run for his money. Gerrard will go head-to-head with old boss Brendan RodgersPA:Press Association James Tavernier was the first to break the omerta. Despite a conscious effort not to talk up a Rangers title win, Tavernier predicted a Gers championship challenge. The agenda has changed for Gerrard. Anything less than a decent tilt at the title will disappoint. Aberdeen have already been dismissed. Across town, Rodgers is on record admitting Celtic are weaker than a year ago. And with Peter Lawwell either unable or unwilling to improve the Hoops squad so far, the Light Blue legions fancy their chances. Gerrard is going to have to handle a burden of expectation entirely new to him. Despite a stellar playing career, Liverpool were never expected to win the English Premiership during his era. If they nicked one of the Champions League spots that was seen as a successful season. When they came close under Rodgers, Anfield fans were grateful to be in the mix. Gerrard is likely to find Glasgow a unique environment. Remember the “Going for 55” banners on their first season back in the top flight? Now at a club that’s never lacked a healthy sense of entitlement, Stevie G could have chosen an easier introduction to management. His very presence in the Granite City will make the clash a box office occasion. This game has never lacked an edge since Ian Durrant was badly injured at Pittodrie in the Graeme Souness era. The Liverpool legend is preparing for his first league matchWillie Vass But with Gerrard clocking on for real, it has all the ingredients. The first game of the season is not one to lose. It makes you feel all the pre-season work has been wasted. But getting off to a flier on day one sets the right tone going forward. As a symbol of the new Gerrard era, these are a huge three points for Gerrard. Ironically, he’ll be up against the man who was offered the Ibrox job before him. While Gerrard has been willing to leave recruitment to Mark Allen, Derek McInnes wasn’t prepared to work under that arrangement. Given Del’s track record in the transfer market, why would he? And if Gerrard had any doubts as to the difficulty of his first league game, he need only have taken in the action at Turf Moor on Thursday. RELATED STORIES WIN OR BUST James Tavernier says Rangers MUST win at Aberdeen in order to avoid early dip WIN OR WIN Hill says Rangers’ new recruits will never experience anything like Ibrox life IN OUR SIGHTS Greg Docherty ‘being targeted’ by Shrewsbury on loan amid Sunderland interest TEAR-NEY Celtic ace Kieran Tierney’s BT Sport billboard painted over in RANGERS colours Strike it Rich Goldson says listening to likes of Gough can only inspire Rangers BEER WE GO Nacho Novo to 'pay for Gers fans’ drinks’ at NN10 boozer ahead of Aberdeen clash Against a Burnley side who shook up all of the EPL’s big beasts last season, McInnes’s side gave Sean Dyche the fright of his life. The Dons’ performance was a real shot in the arm for our game. Extra time won’t have done Aberdeen any favours, but you can bet both clubs will be up for this mouth-watering clash. Gerrard will have experienced bigger and better venues than Pittodrie over the years, but the old ground doesn’t lack intensity when this pair meet. BIG INTEVIEW We expected Alex McLeish or another big name.. then we got Pedro, says Clint Hill The Rangers boss will appreciate the value of a win for his dressing room so early in the campaign. Defeat will not be on his mind. Either way, his honeymoon ends at 1pm. WHEN Rangers went bust six years ago, Kyle Lafferty had a choice. The striker could sign to play for Charles Green in Scottish football’s bottom division, effectively giving up his Northern Ireland international career for the privilege. Or he could become a free agent, able to negotiate a bumper deal for himself and his family with Swiss outfit Sion. It was a no-brainer. Makes you wonder about the dimwits opposing Lafferty’s return to Ibrox. Loyalty in football went out with Brylcreem and the old lace ball. SURPRISED Derek McInnes didn’t contest the joke penalty awarded to Burnley at Turf Moor. With six minutes remaining, one goal puts Aberdeen through. Instead, the referee penalises Scott McKenna for handball when there’s not an ounce of intent. Mind you, when it comes to dodgy penalties, Massimo Irrati has previous. He was the VAR ref whose intervention gifted France the game-changing penalty in the World Cup Final. It’s time Uefa cut the tail from this Italian show pony. THE Old Firm ticket spat has been caused by inadequate SPFL rules that state ‘reasonable’ provision must be made for visiting supporters. Who decides what’s reasonable? But if both clubs have the interests of their own supporters at heart, they’ll go further and ban the other lot completely. It would save them a bundle on policing, repairing toilets and make surrounding streets safer for the public. A reduction in the poison generated by this game would be no bad thing. HAMILTON’S stadium-naming deal with a cannabis oil firm was always going to be controversial. Sure enough, some professor from the Centre of Substance Use Research in Glasgow was among the first to condemn the tie-up. Me? I’ll take the word of the firm’s owner, Hamilton chief executive Colin McGowan, who says all of his products are both legal and non-addictive. Given the mayhem in football caused by booze, Accies should be cut some slack. RANGERS chairman Dave King must have winced when hearing Middlesbrough are offering Ipswich £7million for Martyn Waghorn. Even if Gers get a slice of the fee, they should be embarrassed Waghorn was sold for just £200,000. Good for 16 goals during his last season at Ibrox, the striker matched that figure in his first season at Portman Road. No wonder Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy boasted he had stolen Waghorn from Ibrox. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news, transfers and goals from Scottish football plus fixtures, results and live match commentary
Source: Scottish Sun, News
Source: Scottish Sun, News
