If Rangers fail to win the Scottish Premiership this season, resentment toward Steven Gerrard will only grow.
Gerrard quit his role as Rangers manager in October to replace Dean Smith at Aston Villa.
Leaving a job mid-season is invariably going to tick off many supporters – and a lot of the Ibrox faithful remain bitterly upset by the 42-year-old’s departure.
Under Gerrard, the Gers could’ve enjoyed a period of domestic domination similar to what Brendan Rodgers achieved at Celtic.
However, if the Hoops stop Rangers from defending their Premiership title this season – their first since 2011 – then the animosity toward the Liverpudlian manager will undoubtedly intensify.
That being said, Gerrard might be on the brink of silencing any complaints that they had about him joining Aston Villa.
Blockbuster
Speculation is rife that the Aston Villa manager is set to bring Philippe Coutinho back to England.
The Barcelona maestro will reportedly join Gerrard’s side within 48 hours [Mundo Deportivo] and the player himself is even house hunting in Birmingham [Beteve].
And if this materialises then even Rangers supporters will acknowledge that this is the type of blockbuster transfer that he couldn’t have possibly achieved in Glasgow.
This is a player who cost £142 million in 2018 and his annual wages is more money than the Scots have ever even spent on a transfer fee.
The Gers are a massive club, but there’s no denying that Gerrard has much greater resources available with the Premier League outfit.
These are the types of transfers that every manager wants to oversee and if Coutinho happens, well it might go some way in explaining why Gerrard felt as if he had to take the Aston Villa job when it was available.
This could be his final message to Rangers.
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