It is a Champions League double header for clubs connected by European Cup-winning captains. Graeme Souness and Steven Gerrard both lifted the trophy Liverpool prize most and managed Rangers. If Wednesday’s tie at Ibrox is part of Gerrard’s legacy, considering Rangers’ improvement in his tenure, Souness may assume a greater pertinence, given Liverpool’s plight.
His reign at Anfield was both controversial and unsuccessful but the backdrop was difficult. Souness returned to Merseyside as manager in 1991 and inherited an ageing team. His attempts at rejuvenation, and his signings of players such as Dean Saunders, Paul Stewart, Julian Dicks, Mark Walters, Nigel Clough and Neil Ruddock, backfired. Souness correctly identified a problem. In trying to solve it, he made Liverpool worse.
