FOR many, the jury is still out. Steven Gerrard has now made the case for his defence.

He, and his team, will be judged even more closely in the court of public opinion over the coming weeks and months.

The focus has been on the Rangers back four and those at the heart of it – Connor Goldson, Joe Worrall, Gareth McAuley and Nikola Katic – in recent times as points that could prove costly at the end of the season have been dropped.

While Goldson has been a steady and regular performer for the Gers this term, there is debate amongst supporters over who should partner him. That has now increased in the aftermath of Worrall’s howler in the defeat to Kilmarnock in midweek.

Only the on-loan Nottingham Forrest defender will know what he was trying to do before Eamonn Brophy nipped in, won the ball and then fired it beyond Allan McGregor to pull Steve Clarke’s side level.

Come the end of the evening, Worrall’s mistake had been amplified even further as Jordan Jones clinched the win and ensured Rangers fell three points off the Premiership pace.

“Joe will be looking for some faith from me and his team-mates,” Gerrard said as attentions turned to the tricky trip to Livingston tomorrow afternoon. “He has bailed us out on numerous occasions to deserve that faith.

“He is man enough and has been around long enough, even though he’s still young, to know he is going to make mistakes. I don’t think he is an insecure boy, where that mistake might affect him long term.

“The positive thing for me is he held his hand up and has taken it on his shoulders. The disappointing thing for me was the reaction from the rest of the team following the mistake. It wasn’t good enough.”

The arguments over Worrall’s inclusion in Gerrard’s starting line-up have become even more intense this week but the disputes are nothing new.

It is McAuley that has stepped in more often than not when the Englishman has been left out and that partnered Worrall in midweek, although that is clearly not the first choice pairing.

Calls from outwith the Hummel Training Centre for Katic to be given another shot have grown and Gerrard admitted he is ‘tempted’ to bring him back into the team. The Croatian started the season in impressive form, but his opportunities have become increasingly limited.

“Because I felt there were two people who could do a better job than him,” Gerrard said when asked why Katic hadn’t featured as often in recent times. “That’s the obvious thing.

“Niko came in at first and performed really consistently and really well. He is a player who was brought in for now and for the future.

“He had a couple of performances and certain situations happened which affected his confidence. It was my job to protect him and maybe take him out of the firing line at times.

“In the friendly against HJK Helsinki last Sunday, Niko made a mistake in that game. So I see the players every day and I’ll pick the two I think can do the job and are best suited.”

The partnership of Goldson, who will once again miss out at the Tony Macaroni Arena tomorrow, and Katic looked promising for Rangers in the opening weeks of the season.

But the decision from Gerrard to drop the Croatian in Villarreal appeared to dent his confidence and mistakes have been made when he has been put back into the team.

“I think it’s definitely my responsibility to manage him and play him when I think he has shown me in training that he’s ready to do the job I need him to do,” Gerrard said.

“Niko hasn’t come in with any guarantees that he’s the number one centre-back who plays every week.

“We brought him in because we believe he’s got potential to improve and grow and at some point become a nailed-down regular in this team but it’s never been promised to him.

“I did think he had a dip in his form and his confidence was affected. I do feel as though he’s over that now and he is pushing.”

Katic wasn’t the only Croatian that supporters had high hopes for earlier in the campaign and recent weeks have been just as frustrating for countryman Borna Barisic.

The full-back has endured a stop-start season so far and Gerrard hopes he will soon be able to showcase his ability on a far more consistent basis after being left out of the squad at Rugby Park.

“Barisic is fine,” he said. “He’s had a tough week – he’s been pushed and is available to go now. He needed to get fitter as he obviously had the period out.

“I think the challenge for Borna is to be a bit more robust and to be available a bit more.

“I think it’s 12 games he’s been available for. From a manager’s point of view that’s quite frustrating as we rate him very highly and when you see him play you can see he’s a quality player.

“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’s available from now until the end of the season and that we see his quality on a more consistent basis.

“It’s quite frustrating when you get him for three or four games and then he’s missing for three weeks. It’s frustrating.”

The deliberations over who to start at the back aren’t the only ones that Gerrard will ponder as he prepares for a crucial clash with Livingston.

The 38-year-old switched formations in midweek as Steven Davis started in midfield and Jermain Defoe was paired with Alfredo Morelos as part of a 4-4-2 system.

“In certain situations Morelos will be effective on his own,” Gerrard said. “In certain situations they will be effective as a two.

“The personnel might change. Every game of football is different.

“I have to see what they are coming up against, what the challenge is. It’s for me to try and get those decisions right.

“People will naturally say it wasn’t right after a defeat at Kilmarnock. But if you analyse the game properly, it was fine to get us in a healthy position.

“I don’t think it was down to Morelos and Defoe that we conceded two goals. But I understand people are going to analyse it from that perspective and I’ll take responsibility for that.”