Former Rangers star Lee McCulloch believes Steven Gerrard’s recent criticism of players is reminiscent of club legend Walter Smith, as reported by The Scottish Sun.
The Ibrox boss has been an outspoken critic of his first-team stars over the last couple of months, even in the wake of big victories like our recent 4-0 result at home to St Mirren and Scottish Cup victory over Cowdenbeath.
The Liverpool icon is setting high standards for his players to reach and McCulloch believes it is not only the right approach, but also reminds him of his former manager, the incredibly successful Walter Smith.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the Dundee United coach said:
He’s not been overly-critical, he’s just saying he’s expecting a better finish to the second half of a game, particularly as was the case at Cowdenbeath.
A few folk would have been surprised about criticism after a 4-0 win like Saturday. But it would be too easy to paper over cracks and he’s just letting people, and especially players, know that he’s seeing it.
It’s not panic stations, it’s just letting people know that they can always do better. Walter [Smith] was like that too and I think he picked his times to do it. He’d catch you off guard, personally and as a group.
Comparisons to one of the greatest managers in the club’s history make that high praise indeed but McCulloch is spot on in suggesting this is the approach Gerrard should be taking.
The mentality of the squad over the last few seasons has not been a winning one, with far too many players coasting by without really challenging themselves to find the consistency needed to win trophies in Scotland.
Nothing about the next few months is going to be easy with Celtic ramping up their title bid and knock-out matches against tough opponents like Kilmarnock on the horizon.
Gerrard preparing his side for that is exactly what I’d have hoped he would do, even in the wake of victories, and hopefully we see a continued response from the players.