The Real Reasons Behind Gerrard’s Decision to Reject Rangers

Why Gerrard walked away: ambition, instability at Rangers, and a tarnished managerial reputation

Steven Gerrard’s decision to reject the Rangers job following the sacking of Russell Martin sent shockwaves through the Rangers supporters and the lapdogs in the media who were already celebrating his return to Ibrox.

The decision was a head scratcher for Rangers partisans, who had dug up their full size Gerrard cut outs, ready to welcome back a manager whose legendary status at the club was built on the back of just one trophy out of nine attempts.

Despite Gerrard’s strong ties to the club, there were several clear factors behind Gerrard’s decision to reject Rangers - reflecting a mix of personal, professional, and pragmatic considerations.

Firstly, financial and structural issues at Rangers seem to have played a significant role in Gerrard’s decision. While Rangers may be under new ownership, the US-led 49ers consortium has tightened budgets and imposed more stringent controls than Gerrard faced during his first spell in charge.

Unlike before, Gerrard would have been operating under sporting director Kevin Thelwell and a tighter budget - after Russell Martin spent the best part of £20 million on his own revolution. This would have limited his ability shape the team his own way until he managed to sell Martins’ duds which there are many of.

With the club sitting eighth in the league - and with no quick fixes visible - 11 points behind league leaders Hearts and 9 behind rivals Celtic, it made the challenge even more precarious for a manager that rode the coat tails of his assistant - Michael Beale - the man who Rangers fans claimed was the real brains behind Gerrard.

Secondly, the timing couldn’t be worse for Gerrard personally and professionally. After being sacked from his most recent managerial role in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, he has been keen on a fresh start with the right project. However, with the Rangers job a poisoned chalice - he would be returning to the club where he already had a dismal record [despite the fairy tales being banded about by the Rangers fans and the media] and facing a monumental task of not only regaining fan trust, but also turning around their league form which sees them closer to the relegation zone than it does the top of the table.

Further failure would irreparably damage Gerrard’s already struggling managerial reputation, after failed spells at Aston Villa and Al Ettifaq.

Moreover, tax considerations relating to his residency and personal circumstances have reportedly influenced his hesitation. Gerrard, who still lives abroad, likely weighed the financial and lifestyle impacts of uprooting again under such uncertain conditions, adding another layer to his reluctance to commit - along with his wife refusing to move to Glasgow during his first spell at Ibrox.

Finally, and perhaps most critically, Gerrard knows the stakes of a second stint at Rangers are much higher since the football world has seen unflattering aspects of his managerial record. There’s no room for error, and the club - and the fans - may not grant him the same leeway he received before. After near misses and managerial turmoil, the challenge could easily destroy any future prospects of him using his past playing career and name to secure jobs in England or abroad, something that undoubtedly made him think twice.

Faced with mounting pressure, limited funds, tax implications, and the chance of further tarnishing his managerial CV, it appears that Gerrard has chosen to bide his time, hold out for the right opportunity, and preserve his future in football management rather than rush into a precarious situation at Ibrox and ruin his future.

Rangers now must look elsewhere and with the names of those rejecting the job piling up - the club will be desperately looking for Martin’s replacement anywhere they can find someone crazy enough to deal with a horde who think they have a god given right to be the number one club in the country, all the while ignoring how much of a basket case the club is from top to bottom.

For those of us who aren’t loyal Rangers fans, it’ll be exciting times to see if Rangers will continue to sink closer to the relegation zone or if they will battle for a European place this year alongside the likes of Kilmarnock, Dundee United, and St.Mirren.