Steven Gerrard dismisses title prospects after draw with St Johnstone

Steven Gerrard effectively dismissed Rangers’ title prospects following his team’s limp display in a scoreless draw at home to St Johnstone.
Rangers Manager Steven Gerrard was frustrated after his side's draw. Pic: SNS/Alan HarveyRangers Manager Steven Gerrard was frustrated after his side's draw. Pic: SNS/Alan Harvey
Rangers Manager Steven Gerrard was frustrated after his side's draw. Pic: SNS/Alan Harvey

It cost the Ibrox men the chance to move within three points on an inactive Celtic, who will have the opportunity to establish an eight-point gap when they travel to Kilmarnock on Sunday. And Gerrard didn’t hold back on the consequences of performance utterly without conviction, the suspended Alfredo Morelos sorely missed in an afternoon wherein Jermain Defoe was an anonymous figure leading Rangers’ forward line.

“I’m struggling to find any positives,” Gerrard said. “Right now forget titles and closing gaps, the reality is perform like that in front of 50,000 [then] here’s your evidence. You don’t need me to say this, that or the other.

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“If you have a group of lads and they give you that across the board, that’s not what’s required at Rangers. You’re miles away from it. At the beginning of the season we had direction, urgency and people performing like Rangers players. They were pressing and hunting. It was great to see and we gave them praise for it. There was none of that. There were normal players I can trust but I just felt we weren’t going to achieve it.”

The Rangers manager said “big time” other players required to step up when Morelos was not available - injuries also depriving him of Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack - but he absolved Defoe from any direct blame.

“I felt for Jermain,” he said. “I never saw a slide pass, a decent cross, decent combination. Anything I’d seen in previous days [when] I’d been seduced as the players looked like they were looking forwards to playing at Ibrox.

“The cop out would be to say there was no this and that in terms of players but I believe we picked a team and have a squad with quality to beat St Johnstone if we play at an acceptable level.

“I have to pay respects to St Johnstone because their game plan worked very well and Wes [Foderingham, with a save from Joe Shaughnessy] has helped us get a point. We knew Tommy would set them up to frustrate. They offer a challenge and say ‘come and beat us’ but we didn’t have enough around the pitch to find an answer to their challenges That’s concerning for me. We lacked leadership.”

Rangers’ entire campaign now effectively goes on the line in their Scottish Cup fifth round replay at home to Kilmarnock on Wednesday night. It is an encounter that Morelos will be eligible to play in but Gerrard revealed Jack is “a big doubt” with a twisted ankle, while Arfield has “a chance but not a good chance” of overcoming a calf problem.

“Wednesday is big anyway,” Gerrard said when it was put to him the events of yesterday had ramped up the importance of the cup tie. “Where we are after this probably does mean it becomes bigger but a chance to make a quarter-final should always be exciting. If it’s not then maybe you’re in the wrong place.”