Greg Stewart experienced it all and he can’t believe the direction travel since that signature title win.
As Greg Stewart was exiting Rangers while Steven Gerrard pointed out the minor issues with the Ibrox roof, he could never have anticipated the scale of the problems to come.
Three years later, Stewart believes it’s time to stop debating who is responsible for the growing issues and instead focus on assisting Philippe Clement in fixing the major problems threatening another manager’s tenure at Rangers. Stewart’s last act as a Rangers player was celebrating the team’s title win, which ended Celtic’s nine-year dominance, before being released in the summer of 2021.
Stewart had hoped that this Premiership victory would mark the beginning of a new era in Glasgow, with Rangers expected to outshine their Old Firm rivals. However, Gerrard foresaw the potential risks if the team wasn’t reinforced, and he warned the Ibrox board to address these issues “while the sun was shining.”
Despite Gerrard’s warning, the necessary improvements weren’t made, leading him to leave for Aston Villa. This allowed Ange Postecoglou’s revamped Celtic to dominate Rangers, first under Gio van Bronckhorst and then Michael Beale. Now, Brendan Rodgers is putting the pressure on, with Clement’s position becoming increasingly precarious, despite an unbeaten start to his tenure.
It has been difficult for Stewart, who is now playing in India with Mohun Bagan Super Giants, to watch these developments. He told Record Sport: “When I left the club, I really believed they were set up to dominate for the next few years. But that summer, the board didn’t provide Steven with the quality players he wanted, which was why he decided to leave. Even after moving to Villa, he had still left Rangers in a strong position.”
“It was all set up for the next manager to take over seamlessly. But now, three years later, it feels like the squad is in a worse state than when Steven Gerrard left. It definitely is. The managers who followed him have spent money, but not wisely. I recall Gerrard’s interview on the day we lifted the trophy at Ibrox. He made it clear that when things are going well, that’s the time to address issues.
“That was Steven’s approach. He didn’t want to stay static; he aimed to continually improve the team. His mindset was that nothing is ever perfect, so always strive for better. That’s why he’s one of the best managers I’ve ever worked with. But we need to stop looking back at that season or discussing Gerrard. Firstly, he’s not coming back—he’s earning around £300 million a year in Saudi Arabia! Secondly, while mistakes were made in not strengthening the squad at the time, dwelling on them won’t help. Rangers need to find a solution.
“The problem is, what were once minor issues have now become major problems. They allowed those small issues to grow. Now, Phil Clement is trying to address these problems with a limited budget due to overspending by previous managers. I feel for him because he’s trying to patch up the squad with fewer resources than other managers had. Fixing this will require both time and money, but as we know, time is short at Rangers.”
Ten days after Rangers were thrashed 3-0 at Parkhead, the sting from that derby loss is still fresh. Clement insists there’s no significant gap between the teams, but Stewart sees the harsh reality. “They started reasonably well at Parkhead, but it was a tough watch,” he said. “There’s no denying the gap between the teams. Rangers seem vulnerable every time the opposition gets near their box. I doubt they’ll keep many clean sheets this season.”
The blame game began immediately after the match, with skipper James Tavernier receiving most of the criticism from fans. There’s speculation that Tavernier might be heading to Turkey, with the transfer deadline approaching. But Stewart believes that rather than a transfer, Rangers should consider a testimonial for the right-back.
He stated: “Tav is a former teammate, and I know firsthand the dedication he shows every day for the club. He’ll be hurting like the rest of us fans. The criticism he gets is unjust. People might point out that he’s only won three trophies, but he deserves a lot of respect.
“I don’t see him leaving. It wouldn’t make sense for Rangers to sell him, especially since they lack adequate cover and still need Dujon Sterling in midfield. Instead of selling him, they should be organizing a testimonial. If he stays until next summer, he’ll have been with the club for a decade and deserves to be honored. I’ve heard doubts about his captaincy, but leadership comes in different forms.
“He’s rarely injured, which shows he’s doing everything right to stay fit. Sure, he has the occasional poor game or defensive lapse. But if he were perfect every game, he wouldn’t be at Rangers—he’d be playing for a top Premier League club.”
GET MORE NEWS ON LIFESTYLEROOM.NET
Leave a Reply