'I'm feeling pain'
Steven Gerrard to consider his Rangers future with serious thinking in ‘next 24-48 hours’ after shock Scottish Cup exit
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STEVEN GERRARD is considering his Rangers future.
The Ibrox boss was left reeling as Hearts ended his hopes of domestic silverware this season in a stunning Scottish Cup upset yesterday.
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Gerrard insisted he’s never felt lower and vowed to think long and hard over the coming days.
The gutted Gers gaffer revealed: "I need to think.
“The plan was to have a day off tomorrow, but I need to think hard about where we are at as a group.
“I need to do some real serious thinking in the next 24-48 hours.
“I just need to think, I am feeling pain right now because I want to win here.
'I NEED TO THINK, I'M FEELING PAIN'
“I am desperate to win here, but looking from the side today I didn't get the impression that the feeling among my players was the same.
“I'm very disappointed. It's the lowest I felt since I came into the job by a long way.
“The performance was nowhere near good enough.
“On Wednesday night I was the proudest man in Europe because to a man my players were outstanding.
“Everything we have worked on for nearly two years I could see it on the sidelines and I was proud as punch. It was an incredible performance.
“But today for 90 minutes I didn't recognise anything.
“So I'm feeling really, really low, flat and disappointed right now.”
Gerrard officially became Rangers boss on June 1 2018 - his first big-time role in senior management after leaving his position as youth coach at Liverpool.
His four-year deal was announced a month earlier following the sacking of interim manager Graeme Murty.
Gers produced a magnificent performance to secure a last 16 Europa League showdown against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek.
For 90 minutes I didn't recognise anything. I'm feeling really, really low, flat and disappointed
Steven Gerrard
Gerrard next club odds
Any MLS team 8/1
Sheff Wed 10/1
Birmingham 14/1
Middlesbrough 14/1
Derby County 14/1
Stoke 20/1
Cardiff 20/1
Liverpool 20/1
Everton 25/1
Leeds 25/1
Aston Villa 25/1
England 33/1
Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes
But just four days later the served up their worst display of the campaign as Oliver Bozanic’s winner sent Hearts through to the semis.
Kop icon Gerrard sighed: "Three times we've been here and they have deserved the three results.
“I'm not sure we realised the importance of this game and the opportunity we had to go to Hampden.
“It seems when we're the underdog and there's not much pressure and expectation we're fantastic, a superb team but when there's an expectation to go to a tricky place and win, we have too many problems.
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“Since we returned, we haven't been consistent enough, so we deserve to be where we are in the table.
“That has nothing to do with today. Today's about a quarter-final opportunity.
“We have fans in those stands who have been to Braga, spend hundreds of pounds, and they have come here again, two degrees, paid for a ticket, a full end right with us and behind us and the performance we gave is not enough and that's my responsibility.
“I feel like I have majorly let the fans down today.”
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Gerrard also expressed his exasperation about Alfredo Morelos, who wasn't included in the matchday squad as he was being punished for returning late from a break to be with his family in Colombia.
The 39-year-old said: "You want one of your best players available for you.
"But I am either praising this kid for one of his goals or scratching my head because of all the things that come with it."
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