Ex-Rangers chairman says Steven Gerrard made controversial point on Anfield atmosphere
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard was tipped as a future Reds manager after impressing at Rangers - and it's now been claimed Gerrard thought Ibrox outdone Anfield on European nights
by Dan Marsh · The MirrorFormer Rangers chairman Dave King claims Steven Gerrard felt nothing compared to the atmosphere at Ibrox on a European night - not even his beloved Anfield.
Gerrard, 44, spent the majority of his illustrious playing career at Liverpool and was even touted as a future Reds manager after stepping away from the club back in 2015 after making over 700 appearances.
The former midfielder started his managerial career in Scotland, though, with Rangers after seeing out his playing career in America. He won the Scottish Premiership in the 2020/21 campaign before an ill-fated stint at Aston Villa: a move which was initially seen as a perfect stepping stone towards succeeding Jurgen Klopp on Merseyside.
His decision to leave for a chance in the Premier League left fans furious - but King now claims that Gerrard never wanted to leave Rangers back in 2021.
“Let’s be absolutely clear, Steven was not ready to go when he went. Steven wanted to defend the title and I’d extended his contract at his request,” King told The Sun.
“He still says Anfield can’t compare to Ibrox on a European night. We had our understanding that we’d respect each other and he came to me and said, ‘Look, I’d like to extend’.
“He was happy at the club. His ambition was to defend the title. In the process of defending the title and having a nice European run, he could then move on to the balance of his career having used Rangers as a basis to gain some very valuable first-hand experience.
“Steven was absolutely kicked out. I have no doubts about that.”
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King, who brought Gerrard to Ibrox back in 2018, went on to bemoan the fact that the Scottish giants have "regressed" since losing their former manager.
Philippe Clement is the current Gers boss: he was appointed last October after Michael Beale, Gerrard's former assistant, was sacked. Gerrard's initial replacement, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, also failed to convince in the hotseat.
King added: “It’s absolutely true that we went backwards because it wasn’t just Steven who left. It was support staff and it was the very structures that he had put in place.
“It was the ethos, the standards, everything about the club. Then we started to go down from there. He got the spine, he got the club, he got all of that.”
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