Steven Gerrard hungry for sustained Rangers success as he urges side to 'attack' new season

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has called on his players to ‘attack’ the 2021-22 season with everything at their disposal as he looks to build on winning the club’s first top flight title for a decade.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard and his players celebrate after lifting the Premiership trophy at Ibrox on May 15. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Gerrard’s squad are due to start pre-season training this week and will open the defence of their Premiership crown against Livingston at Ibrox on July 31.

Rangers are also bidding to return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2010-11 - they will learn their third qualifying round opponents when the draw is made in Nyon on July 19.

Gerrard will also seek to address their performances in the domestic cup competitions which proved a disappointment again last season with quarter-final exits at the hands of St Mirren and St Johnstone in the League and Scottish Cups respectively.

But Gerrard knows retaining the Premiership title will be the priority for Rangers.

“I want us to defend this championship with our lives and also attack 2021/22 with everything we have got, with hopefully all our fans back at Ibrox and at away games if the coronavirus restrictions allow for that,” he said.

“It goes without saying that we have missed our supporters massively and, while we want to build on our recent league success for them, we also want to improve and go further in the domestic cup competitions while striving to be better in Europe.

“So there is much to play for next season and with new faces in our squad there is no reason why we can’t go into it with great optimism, excitement and belief.”

Speaking in ‘Champions’, the official souvenir magazine published by Rangers to commemorate the 2020-21 title triumph, Gerrard reflected on the personal impact of the achievement and his ongoing desire to win more silverware for the club.

“When we beat St Mirren at Ibrox on March 6, a result which put us so close to getting over the line to become champions for the 55th time, every player and member of staff rightly enjoyed it and got lost in the moment – I did as well,” he said.

“The scenes at the stadium with the supporters will go to the grave with me, as will the celebrations at the training ground the next day when Celtic could only draw at Tannadice and we were officially crowned as champions.

“To finish the campaign with a 4-0 win over Aberdeen at home before we got our hands on the trophy was the icing on the cake and it was one of the best and proudest days of my football career.

“But for me, that is what being at this club is all about – it is about success, trophies and keeping that hunger and consistency moving forward.

“That hunger is either in you or it is not and I think the day when I don’t feel it in me is the day I won’t get involved in football or I’ll call it a day.

“But right now I feel really optimistic and excited about the future at Rangers.”

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