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Balogun: Gerrard feels like your pal or teammate at Rangers
The Super Eagles centre-back is set to start his second season at the Ibrox Stadium with a Premiership match against Livingston on Saturday
Rangers defender Leon Balogun has revealed some of Steven Gerrard’s traits which include his communication skills with the players.
Balogun enjoyed a successful debut season in Scotland in 2020-21 as the former Liverpool midfielder guided the Gers to win their 55th Premiership title, without losing a match.
The Nigeria international disclosed that the team’s success is down to the way Gerrard bonds with them and the manner he uses to pass his instructions.
“Sometimes it feels like he (Gerrard) is just your pal or one of your teammates,” Balogun told the Beautiful Game Podcast.
“He has the banter with you but then he just knows how to switch. He doesn’t have to scream at us. Sometimes he just has to give you that look and you know, you’re not going to mess it up now because you don’t want to get that look and be the one.
“It helps that he (Gerrard) is a legend himself but also the way he treats his players, and not just him but Mick Beale, he does an amazing job, TC (Tom Culshaw), Gary McAllister.
“They all do their parts. The way they treat you as a human being first and foremost. They understand how to manage their players and that makes it easier. Especially with the manager, Steven Gerrard.”
After impressing in his debut season with his defensive contributions that helped Rangers win the Scottish top-flight, Balogun was handed another one-year contract in April that will keep him at the Ibrox until the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” he said. “I just joined for this glorious successful year so I think they really learned from mistakes in the past.
“That’s what makes a champion, you don’t dwell on your mistakes, you learn from them and that’s what they did.
“They made sure everyone gets that in your DNA. It didn’t feel hard to focus, it was just taking game by game and making sure we are the best version of ourselves.
“That’s what he (Gerrard) kept telling us, we have to be the best version of ourselves today. The way they set standards, they give you confidence and I cannot say one bad word. It’s been fantastic.”
