15 January 2021

Steven Gerrard wants to see season completed amid Covid-19 crisis

15 January 2021

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard insists Scottish football must play out this season to a finish.

The Ibrox boss has seen his runaway league leaders build up a massive 21-point advantage at the top of the table but there are fears among the Gers faithful their bid to end a decade-long wait to lift the club’s 55th league title could be derailed by the Covid-19 crisis.

Those fears were heightened on Friday morning when Scottish Professional Football League chief executive Neil Doncaster gave a round of newspaper interviews in which he claimed the possibility of the current campaign being declared null and void in the event of another large-scale outbreak remained on the table.

Doncaster said: “You’ve got to bear in mind over 75 per cent of games had been played in all four divisions of the SPFL when the season was curtailed.

“We certainly hope we will complete 100 per cent of the fixtures in all four divisions this season.

“It will be for the members to determine what happens in the event they are not.”

Celtic were handed last season’s title on a points-per-game basis after coronavirus forced the cancellation of the campaign but Gerrard would prefer to see his team declared champions on the field.

The Light Blues boss told Sky Sports: “I’ve read through the interview and what Neil has done is he has put every option and possibility on the table.

“My opinion on this is exactly the same as it was in March and April.

“For football’s sake and the sake of competition I think everything has to try to be finished in the right way.

“I am not just saying that now because we are sitting where we are in the competition this year.

“Because my opinion was exactly the same in March and April.

“My opinion will never change as long as I am involved in the game.

“It would have been my opinion at 18 years of age and it will be my opinion at 88 so football is played for a reason and it is because you have to finish competitions. That is my opinion on it.”

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