‘Chaos reigns as Steven Gerrard leaves Rangers scrambling’

Under Caixinha, Rangers had Declan John and Gerrard had Ryan Kent. Steven Davis, Borna Barisic, Jermaine Defoe, Ianis Hagi, Calvin Bassey, Joe Aribo, Kemar Roofe improved things. There were also duds – far too many – but Gerrard was bullet proof.

The wage bill kept on rocketing throughout his time. The operating losses soared to fund the vision – in his three full seasons, including the financially-wounding Covid era, Rangers recorded operating losses of more than £50m. Celtic’s losses across the span covering the pandemic were about £100,000.

That latitude does not exist anymore. There are more lines of command at the club.

There is a squad that maybe Gerrard didn’t fancy and would have wanted to change, but that freedom he had before would not be there now. Thelwell, the sporting director appointed by the owners, signed all of these guys.

You could say that Saturday and last summer were the two times Gerrard custard-pied Rangers, but of course there was a third.

On a Thursday in October 2021, Gerrard was interviewed after his Rangers team – reigning champions of Scotland – had beaten Brondby 2-0 in the Europe League.

That week there’d been speculation linking him with Newcastle, so the rumours were put to him. “Do I look happy?” he asked, in a rhetorical sense. “Do I look settled? Don’t ask me silly questions then.”

Five games later he was no longer Rangers manager. He went to Aston Villa and won eight games out of 31 and was sacked with Villa 17th in the Premier League.

Later, he went to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, got them to sixth in his first season and left by mutual consent after 18 months when his team fell to 12th, just five points above the relegation zone.

Gerrard was the manager Rangers wanted, but he’s been beaten up since he left Ibrox. There was no guarantee that they’d have been getting the hot property of 2021, the great redeemer who, eventually, stopped Celtic in their tracks.

Who they will get is now anybody’s guess. The Rangers board will be reeling. Chaos reigns and nobody rules.