Gerrard's First Game
Steven Gerrard will take charge of his first competitive game as a senior manager this evening as Rangers take on Macedonian outfit Shkupi in the Europa League qualifiers.
“I’m not nervous or scared,” Gerrard said in his pre-match press conference yesterday. “I can’t wait to walk out there and get the game going and the lads are really ready for it.
“We want the crowd to get right behind the team for the full 90 minutes and really get after that. We are at home. We have spoken about what we want to make Ibrox this year, we have spoken about standards and consistency so I expect the team to come out firing in the early stages.
“We are not good enough at the moment to take our foot off the gas or be complacent or be enjoying ourselves. We have got tons of work to do, tons of improvement, before we can be relaxed and pick and choose when we turn up.”
Gerrard lifted the then-named UEFA Cup with Liverpool back in 2001 - with Ibrox assistant Gary McAllister also netting for the Reds - and the manager believes the competition has it’s ‘mojo back’ with the added enticement of Champions League football for the winners.
“I have fantastic memories of winning it as a 20-year-old kid and I managed to get on the scoresheet in the Final, which capped off a great year winning the treble.
“Lifting the trophy is a fantastic experience, it’s a huge trophy – and very heavy – so I’ll never play it down but I won’t argue that you can compare it to the Champions League, it’s a different animal.
“The competition now has got its spark, its buzz and its mojo back certainly with the winners getting access to the Champions League.”
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