“Look who’s laughing now” – the reality of Steven Gerrard

23
“Look who’s laughing now” – the reality of Steven Gerrard


If someone had said to any Rangers fan on the 11th of July this year that on the 29th of November we’d be in contention for a place in the last 32 of the Europa League, we guarantee that not even the most ardently blind and loyal would have considered it feasible.

Indeed, only 12 months earlier, we had been about to embark on the most embarrassing exit of European football in modern history, for despite our transitional and recovery status, we were still considered giants of football compared to the minnows of Luxembourg that were Progres Niederkorn.

As fate had it, the team and manager disgraced the club over two legs, and the rest is history.

So while there were some hopes this time, with new manager Steven Gerrard’s overhaul having managed to bring in some potentially decent players, no one, I repeat no one had us on final match day contention to make the KO stage of the competition.

And sure, we have ‘only’ won a single match and drawn three, but aside the financial benefits of these results (on top of the guaranteed £4M for making the group stage via our route) is the astonishing truth that what our club is achieving is miles ahead of schedule.

No one envisaged that a place in the final stages of the Europa League would be at stake – indeed, few believed there would be a final group stage match to look forward to – most were happy with a second or third round qualifying knock out.

While we complain sometimes about this player, that selection, this quote, that tactic – whether Lee Wallace is our left back or not quite frankly doesn’t matter a damn when we look at the bigger picture.

Not only are we on the cusp of getting out this incredibly tough group (which, frankly, would rank up there with 9IAR, Manchester, 92 and 72 in terms of comparison and context of where the club is compared to then) but this weekend a win at Tynecastle takes us top of the league for the first time since 2011.

We’ve given Stevie Gerrard a hard time now and then here on Ibrox Noise, and we know the wider support has too – we’ve castigated him for smearing the players publicly, ardently telling him it it wouldn’t work.

And yet look who’s laughing now? He’s sitting there with a team which has three wins in a row in the league, a serious chance of a last 32 in the UEL, and a real opportunity to top the SPL for the first time in a borderline generation.

He got it right. He knows more about football than you and I, and what seemed counterproductive now seems to have hit the spot.

Does this mean your chums at Ibrox Noise will shut up and let him get on with it? Not a chance! We will always call as we see it, but we’ll also hold our hands up when we appear to have got it wrong.

And if present circumstances at Ibrox are anything to go by, Stevie really is nailing something right now, and we couldn’t be happier if we have indeed got it wrong recently about him.

Top of the league. Possible last 32. Consistent results.

It’s looking good. Whoda thunk it?

No posts to display

23 COMMENTS

  1. Not before time!!!!!…..i really checked the name of this site at times….thought I'd went on to a Tim page!!…….fair play admitting when your wrong…..but FFS just get behind the team win, lose or draw!!

  2. yes were looking good if mr gerrard gets us in last 32 or he beats the smellies hes there ,what one would you choose .r,t,i,d

    • I would take the league. First, last and everything in between.

      If I had to choose between losing to the smellies another three times this season, but winning the league, or humping them three times but they win the league. No contest. Sooner they are stopped, sooner we can get back to normal.

      The money from Europe is great, but only to help us move forward. They must be stopped

  3. Now your talking!,AT LAST👍
    hes doing a fantastic job,hes not just sorted the team out,hes rearranged ibrox and the training facilities all in just 5 months

    ARISE SIR GERRARD🇬🇧

    WATP LETS GO 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

  4. Good progress so far. When we look at the squad, there is no track record of success with the vast majority – in fact, many have little experience at all in senior football. Perhaps the management team are smarter than many give them credit for.

    • SG and Mark Allen between them will take us where we need to go. Looking forward to a surprise or two in the January sales. Except we must keep Morelos. He and Shagger are probably the 2 irreplaceables right now.

      Would take decent money for Foderingham, and Tavernier (Linked w Wolves RB who is out of contract in summer). Take Halkett on a pre-contract. I don't know if Shankland can step up, scouts will know. If so, pre-contract. Then, if we have the cash and someone comes available, great. Otherwise, we march on
      RTID

  5. Unlike many on this site, including IN, I have been 100% behind Gerrard since the start. It was a fantastic achievement to get to the group stages of the Europa League but frankly I didn't care if we lost every game. Getting there and getting the financial benefits of it was more important. To be where we are now is another achievement and even if we fall short at the final hurdle the manager and players deserve tremendous credit. I have constantly said that we are without doubt better than at any time since 2012 but still people go into meltdown every time we get a bad result or don't win by 4 or 5.
    So let me put this into perspective. We have a huge December program ending with the Ceptic game. We will probably not win every game up to the Ceptic game and will probably not beat Ceptic. Doesn't matter! We are still making progress and Gerrard will still be the man to take us back to the top.

    • Couldn't put it better myself,totally correct,we know we're in good hands👍
      WATP LETS GO 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
      Tapatheleaguethemora🍻

  6. It's a fantastic achievement. The more I see displays like on Thursday night, the more I think our 'problem' with beating Celtic, is more psychological, than us not being good enough. I believe if we had absolutely no injuries and was fielding our best team, we could beat them. We have to beat them. Burst the dam, boost morale and get our confidence in old-firm games, back up again. We can do it! WATP!

  7. Ibrox noise why have you not picked up on our esteemed chairman's court appearance. Everyone on here knows I hate the guy he is King of the CHISLERS and CONMEN. He is taking our club down a one way street or path which can only end disaster for my club. He is a snake and no anti-dote will save our club this time. Very dissappointed you have not called or shouted this guy out yet. He gets up in court and tells us about criminals with shares in our famous club was he including himself in this statement. The guy is a joke and out fabulous fans bow to every word he spews out as lies and soak it up. If we have criminals who hold shares in the club why has he not spoke about it before or went to Police Scotland and complained or even the big bad SFA. No this guy was in court getting called out on stuff and was looking for other people to be het for his shenanigans. I do hope you put this out there other wise you will look like a cheerleader for this chancer and don't say I did not tell you so. Rant over for the night but King does get right on my nerves.

    • We would be ill-advised to comment on ongoing court cases and prejudice the outcome. This isn’t a wee site no one will see. Your opinion on King is up to you, but we don’t have expensive enough lawyers to safeguard our security in event of legal minefields.

    • Scud,

      I know, as do many if not most of our fans, that King is not perfect. He has clawed his way from Castlemilk to South Africa and made a pile of money on the way. He protects this money from the Tax man though trusts and other legal shenanigans. Some of these are challenged in court by the Tax man. Some he wins, others he loses.

      However, think back to before King arrived. Ashley was getting 97p in every pound of profit on the jersey. Others were gouging every penny they could out of us, the fans. We had been through years of hell financially as well as dragging our way back up through the lower leagues.

      King arrived and put up the money to take over. Nobody else. there was lots of time for somneone else to come along and save us. Didn't happen. King didn't do it on his own, he put together a group of men who had money and a desire to help. These men are all rich by our standards and all made their money through hard work. I think, if King was at it, they would figure that out. King is spokesman, but not the only player. In my honest opinion, King may not be perfect, but neither am I or anyone else I know. I do believ that he is trying to do his best for the club. He has put money in, not taken it out like Green and White. He has given us the money to build a better team. He has found someone who, so far, seems to be the best manager we have had since Walter and sold him on the Ibrox dream. I think SG's people will have checked him out.

      As for criminals or people of dubious status owning shares, why should he raise this if true? When? What does it gain him or us? Nothing. You would have to prove your case in court. Even then, criminals are allowed to own shares unless you can prove they acquired the money illegaly (Proceeds of Crime Act). So, an expensive waste of money. He may be muddying the waters, but I believ he has now agreed to bring over enough money from South Africa and deposit it in Uk to fund a buyout of all the shares that people don't want to sell him. If some of these are criminals, will you accuse him of funding crime by buying their shares?

      You could still be proved right about King. Anything is possible. If you are, then you can tell us you told us so.

      But in the interim, I would be very interested in your ideas about moving forward. Where would you find the money or the rich benefactors to buy King out, given that nobody else turned up before? Who should we sell to raise funds? Who should we buy with those funds to improve the team? SG has brought in over £10 million by my guess in our European run. Even discounting some of the one-off costs of the last year we were running at a loss(funded by King and not to screw us for money) but even with the higher wage bill, I foresee a profit this year excepting transfers and possibly even with transfers. Qualify for group stages in Europe next year and we could be financially sound, even without player sales. At what point would you admit King is getting it right? I suspect never. Which is your right. But if you want to convince others, you are going to need fact and argument more than blind hatred.

      A start would be to answer some of the many questions I have been asking you across numerous articles

    • Well said SWH, saved me the bother. Scuds opinions are always tainted with his hatred of everything King that he can't see the improvement in our fortunes. Maybe he should start a "We hate Dave King forum" where like minded people can indulge in their own views without trying to spoil every decent thing we do. We are back at the top of the league Scud. Enjoy it!

    • Scott thanks for the reply appreciate it mate. All I say is only my opinion. But I hate the sight of King. He is a liar 50 million promised not even close to touching that. He was in court the other day declaring that he would put up 19 million for to buy the remaining shares but only a couple of months previously his lawyer said King had no money to front this which was only 11 million then. So how come now 2 no the later he finds 19 million to fund this buy out. I hope I'm wrong on King but I don't think so. He was in court the other day but put the limelight on criminals with shares in our famous club. Why has it took him 3 years to announce this. He tells us we will be debt free in the next 2 to 3 years but each year the debt goes up. He told us he bought and paid Cashley off last year then why is Cashley still hanging about like a bad smell another lie. Why does he not sell up to the so called big investors that want to buy into rangers if he has the good of the club at heart. He is taking our club down and this time there will not be any anti-dote to save us from this snake.

    • Scud who are these big investors wanting to invest? I'm not aware of any. Where were they before King bailed us out? We've had a good day today, back at the top of the League after 7 dark years and all you can do is bring negativity. Support your team!!!

  8. Ok robrob 57 tell me do you think king saying in court our famous club has shareholders linked to major criminals is good for our club get real. That's what's wrong hear people can't see the forest for the trees. It's feel a case of the blind leading the blind. We are 3 years into King being in charge debt up year on year since he has been there but he tells us we will be debt free in another 3 years how does that work out explain please.

    • Of course we are in debt. It's managed debt. How do you think we are going to move on if we don't try to bring a better quality of player in. Would you rather we held onto players like Kyle, Daly, Aird, Law, Shiels, Moshni, etc. and struggled along in the Championship. Or maybe we could go down the Herrera, Pena, Dodoo route and maybe cling on to a SPL place.
      The £14m debt announced recently was for accounts up to June 2018. Our European run will wipe most of that out. Without the investment in the team that would never have happened. Speculate to accumulate!

    • Scud

      How come you haven't answered me – again. You are great at throwing mud, but you can never answer a question, never say anything positive, never mention a player or the manager, never suggest how Rangers could be improved on the pitch, never suggest how they could be improved off the pitch – you say King must go, but not how, who by or where the money will come from.

      IN, I charge Scud the Spud with being a Timposter. I would like you to create an article on this, with voting buttons. Please allow Scud to make a case for the defence, if he wishes. The prosecution case can be found above or in many other posts I have directed to him, none of which have ever been answered, just deflected by asking me how much I paid for my shares.

      If found guilty, I ask that he is removed to allow more space on your pages for Rangers fans

  9. Weird how he never replies to me when I ask for facts. Just waits a while, then comes back with more hatred.

    C'mon Scud. Share your ideas, your vision of a King free life for us. Tell us where the money will come from, show us how King is screwing us all over.

    Put Up or Shut Up, I think they call it

Comments are closed.