Alan Brazil: If Flanagan’s worth the risk for Rangers, why didn’t Brendan try to get him at Celtic?

EVERYBODY deserves a second chance in life.

So I don’t have an issue with Rangers over the signing of Jon Flanagan from Liverpool.

What he did – assaulting his girlfriend – was absolutely horrendous.

For many it will be unforgivable.

But I’ll defer to Steven Gerrard’s judgement on the guy.

The Rangers manager knows Flanagan from Liverpool, so he’s well aware that he’s potentially landed himself a decent full-back.

But he’ll also know the guy’s character, and he obviously believes Flanagan is capable of sorting himself out.

When I think back to Flanagan’s breakthrough season at Liverpool, it strikes me that Brendan Rodgers was in charge.

That makes me wonder why, if Flanagan’s as good as Steven Gerrard reckons he is, Brendan has never tried to land him for Celtic?

I suppose we’ll get an answer to that one in due course. But in the meantime, Flanagan needs to put his past behind him if he hopes to make a success of himself at Rangers.

If he can do that – and do the business on the park – Gerrard will be rightly hailed for taking a risk that paid off.

If he can’t, the Gers gaffer will have to accept the flak that will surely follow.