Steven Gerrard Building Siege Mentality At Rangers

Steven Gerrard Building Siege Mentality At Rangers
15:08, 07 Aug 2018

Initially, nobody was quite sure what had prompted referee Kevin Clancy to show a straight red card to Alfredo Morelos just 12 minutes into the opening weekend clash between Aberdeen and Rangers. Then the replays exposed Morelos’ offence. The decision to award a straight red seemed harsh, but there was a clear kick from the Colombian striker towards Dons defender Scott McKenna. 

Steven Gerrard used the incident to add fuel to the fire of conspiracy aired by some sections of the Rangers support.  “It's not just today,” he said in reference to the perceived injustice brought by Morelos’ sending off. “I believe it's been happening for seasons. That's just my opinion.” The former Liverpool captain added that “it looks like some more decisions will go against” his side over the course of the season.

These remarks have sparked quite the reaction from within Scottish football. In essence, Gerrard implied that there is an institutionalised conspiracy against Rangers. That the Ibrox side get more than their fair share of misfortune, to the point where it cannot be considered misfortune. There was a sinister edge to what Gerrard said.

This, of course, is ridiculous. Last season, a fan-made film called ‘Anyone But Celtic’ was planned to be shown at Celtic Park. It made the argument that there is a concerted effort in Scottish football circles to undermine and compromise Celtic wherever possible, illustrating the sense of paranoia felt by many of their supporters. 

Fans of both Celtic and Rangers believe there is an institutional conspiracy against their team, a converted bias against their side and in favour of the other one. Gerrard’s remarks don’t play well and they hint at the sense of hysteria and paranoia that often threatens to overwhelm the Scottish game.

However, Gerrard’s comments could help generate a siege mentality at Ibrox that will help him as he faces up to his first season in senior management. The former England captain faces a tough task to restore Rangers and at least bridge some of the gap that has grown between them and Celtic at the top of the Scottish game. This could be a tactic employed to help achieve that. 

The siege mentality is a strategy used by many in the game, particularly in the modern media age. Jose Mourinho has done it to great success over the years. Going back decades, Walter Smith was also extremely effective at deploying this tactic, making it seem like the whole world was against Rangers.

Maybe Gerrard was talking in the heat of the moment. Maybe his comments were a reflex response to the disappointment of losing a stoppage-time equaliser in his Scottish Premiership bow as a manager. But maybe they were precise in their design. It would be another sign that Gerrard is fitting the bill of manager.

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