Alan Brazil: There's no way will Gerrard be pulling on the boots at Rangers

RANGERS have got themselves a manager from football’s A-list.

But it’s going to take more than that to earn the Gers a seat at the game’s top table.

First things first. I think Steven Gerrard’s appointment is an exciting one.

All the Rangers supporters I know – and there are plenty – are absolutely buzzing.

I’m not surprised.

It’s already become an old chestnut fewer than 48 hours after his appointment, but there’s some truth to it when people say if Stevie’s half as good a manager as he was a player, he’ll be a success.

But, make no mistake, as far as first managerial jobs go, this one is a huge challenge.

I saw SPFL sponsors Ladbrokes have priced up a selection of possible outcomes to Gerrard’s first season.

I reckon the 5/1 they’re offering for the Gers to win the title is extremely short.

For me, it should be more like 50/1!

That’s because the gap between Rangers and Celtic as it stands is enormous.

My pal Ally McCoist said to me that even if Pep Guardiola took over Rangers right now, he’d still end up finishing second behind the Hoops.

I reckon that’s not too far wide of the mark.

I’ve seen stories suggesting Stevie should look to bring in a few kids from Liverpool’s Academy – as if that’s all Rangers need.

I’m not having that at all.

In fact, I think the suggestion is disrespectful to Scottish football.

There are some top young players in Premier League academies.

But there are also some who are nowhere near good enough.

Rangers don’t need talented teenagers to bridge the gap on Celtic.

They need experienced professionals.

Fortunately, while the Gers might not be able to compete with Celtic in a financial sense, now, in Gerrard, they have got a manager whom players will want to play for.

Did they have that in Pedro Caixinha? No chance.

Regardless of Stevie’s profile, Rangers are not going to go out and sign the current England captain, as they did when Graeme Souness became manager in 1986.

In fact, I’ve heard it suggested that the best thing the new Gers boss could do for his team is pull his boots back on.

Now, Stevie Gerrard was a world-class player. There’s no doubt about that.

But could he still do it now, while also managing?

That’s crazy talk as far as I’m concerned.

If being a player/manager was easy, or a guarantee of success, everybody would be doing it.

They aren’t, so that tells you everything.

At 10/1 to pull on a blue shirt next season, a few punters might be tempted to have a sniff.

I won’t be one of them.

For me, Stevie’s remit should be simple.

It shouldn’t be about winning the league at the first time of asking.

It shouldn’t be about performing miracles.

It should simply be about bridging the gap on Celtic.