Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - October 10, 2022 Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard looks on REUTERS/Peter Powell EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Journalist Pete O’Rourke claims that Glasgow Rangers supporters would ‘soon forgive’ Steven Gerrard if he returned to Ibrox and got them back to winning ways.
The Lowdown: Van Bronckhorst on the way out?
It was reported this morning that the Premiership giants are already laying out the groundwork for Giovanni van Bronckhorst to potentially be replaced, doing background checks and compiling a shortlist of potential replacements.
It is not clear whether Gerrard – Van Bronckhorst’s predecessor and now out of a job following departure from Aston Villa – is on that list, but he is certainly available.
The Latest: Supporters would ‘soon forgive’ Gerrard
Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, O’Rourke has claimed that many Rangers supporters would ‘soon forgive’ Gerrard if he were to return to the club and get them back to winning ways.
The journalist said: “Gerrard had great success at Rangers and really transformed them. He won the Scottish Premiership title and stopped Celtic from winning ten in a row, so he’s still fondly remembered by the majority of Rangers fans right now.
“I’m sure they’ll be thinking that it could be an easy one, a straight replacement for Giovanni van Bronckhorst if they did decide to get him.
“We’ll just have to wait and see on that one. I’m sure most football fans are thinking if Gerrard was to return, and got Rangers back to winning ways, I’m sure they’d soon forgive him for his previous misdemeanours of leaving.”
The Verdict: Logical choice…
If Van Bronckhorst were to depart, then Gerrard would seem like the logical choice to replace him.
Of course, he helped them to win the Premiership title in the 2020/21 campaign, stopping bitter rivals Celtic from winning ten in a row, although the abrupt manner of his departure for Villa a year ago sparked a ‘backlash‘ among many Gers fans who felt scorned by his decision.
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The 42-year-old also gave league debuts to the likes of Nathan Patterson and Joe Aribo, who have both since earned moves to the Premier League. He signed a number of top players like Ryan Kent and Connor Goldson, who are still playing in the first team under Van Bronckhorst.
Gerrard knows the club well, and given that he is out of work, he could be a safe bet to replace the Dutchman should the latter move on over the next few weeks.
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