Steven Gerrard will go down as one of the Premier League's greatest players, and over the next few decades, the 40-year-old is hoping to add being one of the Premier League's greatest managers to that.
He hasn't stepped foot into Premier League management yet, though, and is currently dominating the Scottish Premiership with Rangers - although that doesn't stop his name from being thrown into the hat for almost any Premier League job that comes up.
So, is it time for Gerrard to finally make the jump and head down to the Premier League?
Gerrard's Premier League History
Gerrard made over 500 Premier League appearances, all for his boyhood club of Liverpool. He scored 120 goals from midfield, and was part of many successful teams, winning 255 of the 504 games he played in.He won every cup competition he could have with Liverpool, but never lifted the Premier League title. This will be one of the sad parts of his career, and also something he will be remembered for. Nothing would give Gerrard more satisfaction that putting that right as a manager over the next few years.
Managerial Stats So Far
After a brief spell with the Liverpool youth team, Gerrard made his first proper move into management by taking the Rangers job up in Scotland. His job was a simple one, to win a league title and stop the dominance that Celtic were having, and the media are building that up as something that will happen this season.So far, Gerrard has led his Rangers team out a total of 149 times in all competitions. He's won 97 of those games, drawn 32 and lost just 20. The Scottish Premiership is a very unbalanced league, and teams such as Rangers don't lose too often, but even accounting for that, it has been an impressive start for Gerrard.
Rangers Set to End Celtic Dominance
The cherry on the top of that cake looks set to come this season, when he will be the manager who ends the almost decade-long dominance that Celtic have had on Scottish football. This was supposed to be a year when Celtic made history, by winning the league for a 10th consecutive season.Steven Gerrard and his Rangers team have other ideas though, and not only are they challenging to stop Celtic, but they are well ahead of their rivals, and seemingly ready to end the dominance. It hasn't just been in the league where Celtic have dominated - they've scored a quadruple-treble in this time too, winning three trophies every season for four seasons.
Work still needs to be done, but Rangers are huge favourites to win the title with the bookmakers, and only either a huge collapse or perfection from Celtic will prevent this from happening. Rangers keep winning, and football fans from all over are continuing to place bets on them to do so. Whether it is a regular bet or using betting deals, bets on football in Scotland continue to have Rangers involved in them.
What Gerrard looks set to achieve with Rangers this year should not be underestimated in the slightest, and if he pulls it off then that will only put him in the shop window for other clubs.
A Premier League Move Before Managing Liverpool?
Where Gerrard goes next is something that many are talking about, and this talk will only intensify more as time moves on. The fairy tale ending for Gerrard would be to head back to Liverpool and finally get them the league title he tried to win as a player for so long.However, before moving to Liverpool, a move to a lower Premier League club should be what is he looking at, and it wouldn't be a surprise if that came relatively soon. We have all seen what has happened with Frank Lampard at Chelsea since jumping up to his former club from Derby County.
Yes, he's done ok, but there have been serious bumps in the road, and perhaps Liverpool even more so than Chelsea cannot afford to have bumps in the road under a new boss. To iron those out, experience of the Premier League and being in tough situations is what Gerrard needs.
Rangers have served him very well, and he will no doubt have a temptation to stay there and build a dynasty until Liverpool eventually come knocking for him. However, to make him a better manager, and to give him every chance of success with Liverpool, a move into the Premier League could be the best option for Gerrard.
