Steven Gerrard will be gone if you don’t buck up, Andy Halliday tells Rangers players

Andy Halliday has warned his Rangers team-mates to “buck up their ideas” if they want to prevent the end of Steven 
Gerrard’s managerial tenure.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard cut an angry and frustrated figure on the touchline at Ibrox. Picture: Alan Harvey/SNS

The dramatic slump in domestic form experienced by Gerrard’s side since the winter break intensified with Wednesday night’s 1-0 loss at home to Hamilton Accies, which left them 13 points behind champions Celtic at the top of the Premiership.

After their Scottish Cup exit at Hearts, it was also the first time Rangers had suffered back-to-back defeats since Gerrard took charge in the summer of 2018. The former Liverpool and England captain later restated his commitment to the Ibrox job, insisting he would “never quit” as he bids to restore success to a club who have not won a major trophy for nine years.

But Rangers utility player Halliday fears Gerrard could be forced into a change of heart if the current run of domestic form does not change quickly.

Halliday said: “Since the manager walked through the door, he’s black and white and his honesty is refreshing because that’s all you ask for in a manager. If you asked every player in our squad, they would tell you the one thing they don’t want to happen is for the gaffer to leave.

“For that not to happen, we need to buck up our ideas quickly because we’re the ones letting him and the club down. His disappointment filters through to us because we’ve let him and the fans down again.”

Halliday believes it is not only Gerrard’s future on the line as a consequence of Rangers’ post-winter break blues, which have seen them drop 13 points in nine Premiership games as well as crashing out of the Scottish Cup.

The 28-year-old insists no member of the Ibrox first team squad is assured of remaining at the club beyond the 
summer.

“Everyone should be fearing for their future, it’s as simple as that,” added Halliday. “At a big club you’re judged on the results and performances you put in on a week-to-week basis.

“It’s been 10 weeks now since the winter break and that’s not a blip – that’s a complete turn in fortunes.

“If you’re not performing for 10 weeks, then your position in the team comes under question. Far too many of us have underperformed for a long period of time, so the fans are entitled to have a go.”

The currrent situation even prompted Halliday to say sorry to the fans. He added: “I can’t put my finger on what has gone wrong. All I can do, and I know it’s empty words, is on behalf of all the players offer our complete and sincere apologies to the supporters.”

“This is a special club and a heavy jersey and right now we’re not filling it. For six months, the players were doing ever so well but just now we look shot of confidence.”