'We did everything to calm the situation' - Steven Gerrard defends Rangers reaction to fans celebrations

Steven Gerrard said he could understand the reaction of fans. Picture: SNS

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard believes the club did everything they could with regards to the fans celebrations which greeted the Scottish Premiership title win.

Supporters and the club came in for criticism from the Scottish Government for the scenes which followed Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Dundee United on Sunday.

Thousands of fans congregated in George Square and around Glasgow to celebrate.

On Sunday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted, asking the club to tell fans to go home, while there has also been criticism from Police Scotland.

Speaking to ITV, Gerrard said he hopes there is some “understanding”.

He said: “I was asked by the club to remind fans to stay safe but I’m human, I can understand the reaction but moving forward we must remain calm and safe.

"It’s clear we were in constant chats with police to do all we could to make it as safe as possible but when you’re in that moment and you've been through that as fans and players, the work we've put in, I hope there is some understanding.

“I can understand the reaction, we are going through a pandemic... I can say from the bottom of my heart we did everything we could to calm that situation down.”

Gerrard has said he has loved every minute of being Rangers manager and building a relationship with the supporters.

He said: “It’s different, I’m a Liverpool fan through and through, I have had some incredible highs. I wouldn’t compare anything to that, but this is special to me now I’ve built a relationship with the fans.

“It means a lot because it’s tough to win a title, to prove you’re the best team and to remain unbeaten, that’s an incredible effort from the players, it feels really good.

“I’d like to think I’ve learnt a lot in 3 years on and off the field, tactically some of the mistakes I’ve made I’d like to think I’ve learnt from that and stay as balanced as I can, I’ve got a way to go but it’s been an incredible journey and I’ve loved every minute of it, it’s been a big part of what I set out to do but this will only make me more hungry because the feeling when we got over the line was special.”