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Mark Walters believes Steven Gerrard has the mentality to succeed at Rangers

Mark Walters believes Steven Gerrard has the mentality to succeed at Rangers
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Walters feels the Gers could even win the league in Gerrard's first attempt.

Former Rangers winger Mark Walters witnessed from his early days that Steven Gerrard had the type of mentality needed to close the gap on Celtic.

The former Liverpool player has known Gerrard since he was a child and feels his experience in dealing with big expectations will be vital in his job as Ibrox manager.

Walters has noticed vast improvement in Rangers this season and feels they could even win the league in Gerrard's first attempt.

Walters, who was promoting his autobiography, Wingin' It, at Ibrox, said: "Expectations are high and he has experienced that from a child.

"When I was at Liverpool, I heard how good he was as a player and I I even met him when he was doing some rehab at Lilleshall, because I think he had a lot of injuries when he was young.

"And you could tell then he had the right mentality for a big club and he has proved that as a player, and I think he will prove that as a manager as well.

"He is going to have a few hiccups, which is normal, but he's a winner and you can see that by the way the games have been played.

"It's the same expectation that he is used to, so he knows what to expect,

"Some teams will lose on Saturday and try and get over it by Monday. But when you're at a big clubs like Rangers, like Liverpool, it can probably take you a month to get over a bad result.

"But you have still got to keep going and that's what he knows what to do, because he has been there."

Gerrard has led Rangers into the Europa League group stages and Betfred Cup semi-finals and his team have scored 13 goals in their last three games at Ibrox.

Walters said: "I'm really impressed with the way things have turned round.

"They are playing good football, attacking football. And some of the games have been a joy to watch. I have really enjoyed watching the games as opposed to the last few years, it was like something was holding them back.

"Now they are playing with a lot more freedom and tactically are more aware, and that comes down to Gerrard."

One down side so far has been Rangers' away form in the Ladbrokes Premiership, which has seen them collect just two points from four matches, the latest a 1-0 defeat by Livingston on Sunday.

Walters said: "No season is going to go perfectly. My football head said to me if they can finish second it would be a great achievement with all that's happened and the gap that's been with Celtic.

"Obviously the romantic side of me is saying if we can beat them in the two games at Ibrox then you could be challenging.

"You are going to have a few hiccups but in the main things are going in the right direction. I know a lot of people maybe frustrated with the game on Sunday but you have to look at the bigger picture.

"It's a long season, it's a marathon, and it's where you finish that counts.

"I wouldn't write Rangers off yet because of one bad result."

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French football player Didier Six fights the ball on July 8, 1982 prior the World Cup semifinal match between West Germany and France, in the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium in Seville
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rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
1Celtic000080265478
2RangersRangers000072234975
3Hearts000046341262
4Kilmarnock00004334951
5St Mirren00003843-543
6Dundee00004454-1041
Relegation Group
1Hibernian00004451-739
2Motherwell00004651-537
3Aberdeen00003549-1435
4St Johnstone00002446-2231
5Ross County00003256-2430
6Livingston00002259-3718
 
First Phase
1Celtic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
12Livingston3339212259-3718


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