Rangers mark three year transformation under Steven Gerrard with Maryhill trip

It was on a grass training pitch at the foot of the Andalusian mountains where the seeds of the Steven Gerrard era were planted in the summer of 2018.

But the Liverpool and England legend’s Rangers revolution took time to grow with his first trophy arriving a couple of months ago in the shape of the club’s first Scottish Premiership title in a decade.

And as Gerrard and his coaching staff put the Gers players through that dreaded pre-season training after returning this week it’s very different - in every sense.

For a start, they haven’t even left Glasgow with Covid restrictions scuppering plans to travel abroad where Portugal had been on the agenda.

The players have been pictured in their new training kit at the club’s training ground and will stay in Britain for friendly games.

That is a world away from scorching southern Spain where it all started and the same came be said of the squad which has been transformed.

Gerrard’s message was simple three years ago as he gathered his squad for a breakfast meeting, saying “If you want to be part of it then stick with us and if not then there’s the door.”

Plenty have found that exit since then as Gerrard, who had a mountain to climb himself similar to those that provided a breathtaking backdrop to their Mijas base, brought success back.

Record Sport followed Gerrard and his squad during that trip and look at the comparison from pre-season 2018 to the current one.

SURROUNDINGS

The £14 million Murray Park training complex which opened in 2001 has everything Steven Gerrard and his players need for pre-season.

And the state of the art complex has even had massive improvements since the former England captain was appointed.

And while it’s local in Milngavie might be one of the most affluent Glasgow suburbs, it doesn’t quite compare to the Rangers base in 2018.

Many of Gerrard’s fellow EasyJet passengers on the flight to Malaga were heading to popular holiday destinations such as Fuengirola and Benalmadena.

With their many British bars, those resorts have everything for a perfect summer family vacation on the Costa Del Sol.

However, a short taxi ride to the nearby village of Mijas and at the top of a steep hill was a world away from those tourist hotels.

Instead, the luxury La Cala resort was set amongst breathtaking views of the Andalusian countryside with three championship golf courses.

Gerrard put his players through 10 days of intensive work and used the blistering heat to push his player to the limit.

SQUAD

This is undoubtedly the biggest change in the last three years. Greg Docherty, Daniel Candeias and Declan John are just some of the players who spoke to the media and have all since moved on.

Even two players who joined up late during that camp - Ovie Ejaria and Jon Flanagan - didn’t last long at the Light Blues.

Ejaria arrived on loan from Liverpool but quit during that first season after he was unsettled and Flanagan was a squad player before moving on.

During that trip, Gerrard also confirmed his interesting Umar Sadiq but the he failed to make any kind of impact during his loan move from Roma.

Rangers were so far behind Celtic at that time that there was never going to be a quick fix and Gerrard was also in his first senior managerial job so had plenty to learn.

He had to separate the wheat from chaff in the squad he inherited and while even players such as Candeias and Josh Windass hadn’t necessarily been flops like some associated with the previous era - names like Dalcio still send shivers down the spine - he did need major upgrades.

If you compare the squad now then Ryan Kent, Borna Barisic, Glen Kamara, Steven Davis, Filip Helander, Joe Aribo and Jermain Defoe have all drastically improved the squad.

Allan McGregor and Scott Arfield had both joined the club after deals had been sanctioned before Gerrard’s arrival and Connor Goldson and Niko Katic were also in Spain as new signings while James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Jack were valuable stars from the old guard.

Another key changes has been in the director of football role with Mark Allen watching over the squad back then but the Welshman also moved on and has beeb replaced by Ross Wilson who has earned huge praise for his work as sporting director.

FRIENDLIES

Rangers will travel just five miles to Maryhill for their first pre-season friendly on Monday when they take on Partick Thistle.

They then make the short trip south to the north west of England for games against Tranmere Rovers and Blackpool with those games sandwiching a glamour home game against Arsenal as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations.

The focus in the summer of 2018 was mainly on fitness and training as Gerrard tried to get his message across to his players.

And with such an early start there wasn’t as much time for pre-season friendly games but they did managed three.

There was a 3-1 win over The New Saints at Auchenhowie but punters got their first glimpse of the new team when they romped to a 6-0 victory over Bury at Ibrox and there was a 3-0 victory against Wigan Athletic at home.

EUROPE

Another major difference was in European competition. Rangers had to - and successfully managed it - negotiate FOUR Europa League qualifiers.

It was a stage where they had been humiliated 12 months earlier when they lost to Progres Niederkorn under Pedro Caixinha.

But Gerrard helped restore some pride after their reputation had taken a battering and it was another early start.

The Rangers boss watched England lose their World Cup semi-final to Croatia on the eve of his first competitive match in charge which was against Macedonian side Shkupi.

Jamie Murphy scored the first goal of the Gerrard era as they won 2-0 and they would go on to beat Osijek, Maribor and UFA to reach the group stage.

Compare that to this season and not only have they moved up to the Champions League for the first time in a decade after clinching last season’s title but only have two ties to play with rivals Celtic facing three hurdles.