Steven Gerrard has proven his worth as a manager so far throughout his time at Rangers and his team currently find themselves 2nd to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership on goal difference. Although Celtic have a game in hand, I don't think Rangers supporters could have any complaints with how things have been going so far. Despite the low quality of lesser teams in the league, for Rangers to find themselves competing with Celtic once more after the dramatics of falling to the third tier of Scottish football is quite astounding.
Scottish football has rarely interested me but I've been following fairly closely since Gerrard claimed the manager's seat at the Ibrox Stadium. Many things will have to occur over the years for Gerrard to find himself in command of Liverpool but plenty of people believe this is the dream he's currently trying to work towards. I felt it may be too early for Gerrard to take such a big job but he's proved me wrong so far and seems to be getting the results required to remain competitive in what has become a one horse race over the last few years.
The traits of a good manager can often be seen when there isn't a huge pile of cash to be spent. Finding ways to get the right players in to do a job when you can't offer record-breaking transfer fees can be the difference between success and being sacked. It was announced today that Rangers have signed Jermain Defoe on an 18-month loan from Bournemouth and this could be the kind of signing that catapults Gerrard to his first title at Rangers. Some will suggest that Defoe at the age of 36 isn't the player he used to be but, although there may be some truth in that statement, strikers tend to retain their ability to find the goal even if they've lost some pace. With the lower standard of football seen at most Scottish Premiership teams, Defoe will surely find opportunities to shoot and could quickly become a Rangers legend should he manage to win them games to take them to a title.
The only reservations I have about this signing relate to the fact that Rangers will be paying a decent chunk of cash in wages. As Defoe is at the end of his career and on loan from Bournemouth, there will be no sell on fee to recuperate any losses should it not work out as planned. This transfer screams of Rangers deciding to try to win the title right here, right now, rather than Gerrard building his squad over time. Nonetheless, I think it may be a risk worth taking and I'm sure Brendan Rodgers will be a little worried at the moment. What are your thoughts?
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