Steven Gerrard questions need for two-week circuit-breaker

| 01 January 2021

Steven Gerrard questions need for two-week circuit-breaker

St Johnstone became the latest Scottish club to report a positive Covid-19 case earlier this week.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard insists there is no evidence a two-week "circuit-breaker" will solve British football's Covid-19 woes.

West Brom boss Sam Allardyce has led the calls for a temporary shut down in England after the Premier League returned its highest number of positive coronavirus tests this season.

Between December 21 and 27, the league tested 1,479 players and club staff and 18 tested positive, eclipsing the previous highest number of cases, 16 during the week of November 9-15.

In Scotland, St Johnstone became the latest club to report a positive case earlier this week.

But Gerrard does not believe a pause is required north of the border.

The Ibrox boss said: "You leave those decisions to the powers that be but my own opinion is that if there's going to be a significant improvement and everything is going to be perfectly fine to crack on as normal after that two or three-week circuit break, then I'd obviously be for it.

"But I don't think there's any evidence or data to suggest there's a guarantee of improvement after a circuit break.

"We also have to realise what football is doing for people who are being told to stay at home and are suffering from boredom and Covid-related challenges.

"Football is giving people a release and excitement, something to watch, there's been a lot of football north and south of the border and it's really helping people in terms of their daily routine because everyone's affected by Covid.

"Look, I'll follow what the decision makers do in this situation but for me there's no guarantees a two-week break will make things a lot rosier than they are now."