John Barnes suggests Rangers could be good move for Steven Gerrard

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Glasgow Rangers are reportedly on the verge of bringing Steven Gerrard to Ibrox this summer.

In comments reported by Sky Sports, John Barnes has warned Rangers fans not to expect too much too soon if the Gers do end up appointing Steven Gerrard as their next manager, while he added that a move to Ibrox could be good for the Englishman.

The Daily Star recently reported that Gerrard had all but agreed a three-year deal with the Light Blues that would see the Liverpool under-18 boss become Graeme Murty’s permanent successor, with Gary McAllister joining him as his assistant.

Barnes knows what it is like to move to the Old Firm for your first job in management, spending a brief period with Celtic between 1999 and 2000. And while he has urged the Gers supporters to be patient if the 37-year-old ends up making the move to Ibrox, he believes that the retired midfielder could succeed where he failed.

“I think the Rangers fans have to understand that and be realistic in terms of the expectation that if Steven Gerrard comes, it’s not all of a sudden going to fall into place because Steven’s there,” he told Sky Sports.

“I think it will be a good move for Steven – I think if he wants to manage, I think he can be very good.

“If Gary McAllister goes there – who understands the situation – that could also help if that’s a possibility.”

It is undoubtedly a risky appointment. While Gerrard had a significantly higher profile as a player, Rangers are potentially replacing a manager who came from an academy side with no senior managerial experience under his belt before taking the job, with another.

Gerrard does seem to have more ticks in the boxes than Murty did – the contacts and the experience of handling serious pressure at a massive club are just two examples – but, as Barnes knows, those do not guarantee success either.

But there are also examples of inexperienced managers going into jobs and thriving like they had been there for years, and that should give the Rangers supporters hope that Gerrard may be the right man to take them forward if given the right backing.