Former Rangers player and coach Kevin Thomson has hailed Steven Gerrard for the way he helped the new Kelty Hearts boss develop as part of the Ibrox Academy staff.
Thomson made the decision to leave Ibrox and replace Barry Ferguson at New Central Park as the ambitious Fifers embark on their debut campaign as an SPFL side.
Thomson confessed that the access he had to the club’s senior staff was “amazing” and admits that he wants to one day replace Gerrard in the hotseat at Ibrox.
“The gaffer’s been unbelievable with me to be honest. I think he’s unbelievable with everyone,” Thomson told the Any Other Business podcast.
“He’s got time for everyone. I never knew him other than his playing career and how wonderful a player he was, he was a world-class icon and everybody knows him, but I never knew him personally.
“I played against him one season in pre-season at Rangers when Liverpool played us in a friendly. Apart from that, I’d never really come across him.
“To make his door open for a young coach like myself was amazing. The whole staff, I knew Gaz [McAllister], I never knew TC [Tom Culshaw], Mick [Beale] and I knew Col [Colin Stewart] so that door always being open for the Academy side from the first-team side like that for any young coach is amazing.
“I’d like to think it’s like that at every club but I’m pretty sure it’s not so when I spoke to the manager he did say our journeys are obviously different, in the respect that his dream is to get to where he wants to get to and mine is to, hopefully, be in his seat one day.”
Fans would like to see Thomson return to Rangers
When Thomson’s move to Kelty was confirmed, the club’s social media channels saw countless fans thank Thomson and wish him well for the future.
A big section of those also suggested they would like to see him return to the club in the future once he has cut his teeth in management.
While Thomson has passed up the chance to lead Rangers’ B team in their first season in the Lowland League, the opportunity at Kelty is a fantastic one for him.
The Fifers will want to consolidate their place in League Two and Thomson will no doubt have some young Rangers talents sent to Kelty on loan.
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