HAVING gifted young players like Jamie Carragher, Stevie Gerrard, Emile Heskey, Danny Murphy and Michael Owen together at Anfield helped Liverpool to, as they had so often before in their history and have a chance to do once again this season, conquer Europe back in 2001.

Yet, every member of that quintet will readily admit they benefitted greatly from the presence of a footballer who was approaching the end of his career and whose signing the year before had taken many in the game by surprise - Gary McAllister.

Heskey can still recall how he and Carragher, Gerrard, Owen and Murphy all drew on the “greatness” of McAllister as they lifted the UEFA Cup and then followed it up by winning the Super Cup.

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So he is confident that Scotland great McAllister can ensure England legend Gerard silences his doubters and savours similar success as a manager if he takes over at Rangers in the coming days.

The news that the 37-year-old, who is currently the under-18 coach at Anfield, had been approached about taking charge of the Ibrox club at the end of the 2017/18 campaign has divided opinion among supporters sharply.

Many believe it would be an act of folly to bring in someone without any managerial experience. Others are excited at the prospect of such a famous name taking over and feel it would be a positive move.

Even Heskey, who played alongside Gerrard at Liverpool and with England, admits he is unable to predict with any great confidence how the move will work out despite his enormous admiration for his friend both as a player and a person.

Yet, the former striker has been encouraged to hear that McAllister, who has worked extensively as a coach, assistant and manager at Coventry, Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Liverpool over the years, is being lined up to join him in Glasgow.

He feels it will be vital for his countryman to have an experienced older man next to him in the dugout and on the training ground to advise, caution and encourage him in his new role and feels there could be no better man than the 53-year-old.

He can remember what a steadying influence the Motherwell-born midfielder was when he, Carragher, Gerrard, Owen and Murphy were all playing together for Liverpool.

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Indeed, he is doubtful they would have beaten Alaves 5-4 after extra-time in a classic UEFA Cup final in Dortmund in 2001 or Champions League winners Bayern Munich 3-2 in the Super Cup final in Monaco later that year without him alongside them.

“Gary Mac was very important,” he said. “When we won the UEFA Cup and Super Cup we were still young lads. I was 22 and Stevie would have been just 20. There were other young players in the team too. We were still just kids really. At that age you still have your ups and downs. When it came to certain points in the season Gary Mac was a great person to go to.

“Having a senior pro like Gary Mac, to help blend the team and help channel some of his greatness into us all, there was invaluable. He was brilliant. Macca helped a lot. We were only young lads.

“I grew up at Leicester when there were a lot of senior pros and they guided us perfectly. Not so well off the pitch at times I must say! But on the pitch they were great. That is what you need – someone to look up to.”

Heskey added: “I think being a good manager has a lot to do with the people you have around you on your coaching staff. Stevie will need to bring in an experienced coach like Gary McAllister if he takes the Rangers job.

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“If you haven’t managed before you can’t be expected to sprint straight away. You have got to take your time. You need to learn. You need people who have already been in that position to help you out. You learn from then as well.”

Heskey got a great grounding in the game under Martin O’Neill, who dropped down to non-league football to learn his trade despite, like Gerard, winning the European Cup and captaining his country at a World Cup finals as a player, during his time at Filbert Street.

But he appreciates there are many ways into management and is adamant that if the 114-times capped player has the right backroom team and is given the time that he needs by the Rangers board that he can flourish as a coach.

“Only time will tell how Stevie does if he goes to Rangers,” he said. “A lot of people who are getting into coaching choose to dip their toe in to start with, go in at the smaller end of the scale and work their way up. They try to understand how it works. When you are playing football you only need to worry about yourself. Everything is about you.

“As a manager, you are thinking about what frame of mind each of your players are in and how you can snap them out of a mood if they aren’t at their best. You never know what is going on in people’s lives.

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“You have to learn all that as a manager. It is a sharp learning curve. The only way you can learn it is by doing it. You can’t learn that in a classroom. You have got to do it.

“One of the best at that was Martin O’Neill. I doubt he would have learned that at university. You have to learn from hands-on experience. You have to understand how different players work. One player might need an arm around him, another player might need a rocket up his backside. You have got to understand the different characters in the dressing room.

“But Eddie Howe has done a wonderful job at Bournemouth. He just jumped in there and took to it like a duck to water. He got them into the Premier League and they look like Premier League veterans the way they play. Some people have it straight off. But they are the ones who understand the mechanics of it. They know it isn’t just about what you do on the pitch it is about everything.

“If he gets it he is getting a good squad, he is getting decent players and he is getting a great club. He is forward-thinking. He has worked with players and he has done well at youth level. At some stage you have got to take that plunge haven’t you. If he does, all the best to him. He has got more than enough attributes.

“Martin O’Neill probably wasn’t the best coach, but he didn’t need to coach. He had coaches to do that. He was more of a mentor, more of a leader. That is what a manager is, a leader. You have got to get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet and understanding what you actually want to do and what you want to achieve.

“When I was at Leicester under Martin we went to Wembley four times – once in the play-off final and in three cup finals. We were told we were going to get relegated the season we went up.

“Every manager when he goes into a new job needs time. He has to implement changes. You generally need a little bit of time. The reality of the job, of course, can sometimes be a bit different.”