Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has backed calls for synthetic surfaces to be removed from Scottish football, insisting plastic pitches are "dangerous".

On Thursday, Scotland's top-flight players signed a petition demanding an end to artificial surfaces in the Premiership.

Players from the three clubs who play on synthetic pitches - Kilmarnock, Livingston and Hamilton - were asked not to sign the petition.

Having watched his side play three times on artificial surfaces at the start of this year, to mixed results, Gerrard backed the calls for change.

He said: "I agree with the majority of the players in terms of trying to get them out of the game at the elite level.

"I don't like plastic pitches, I didn't like playing on them, I think they are dangerous.

"I respect the teams that decide to put them in place for financial reasons but, for me, having been a player and now coaching players, I believe the game would be in a better place if there were no plastic pitches.

"The people that won't agree about taking them out of the game, I think they have to think about the players' health and safety.

"My opinion is players are a lot safer on grass."

Gerrard said the heightened injury risk from playing on synthetic surfaces can impact his team selection for away fixtures at Accies, Killie and Livi.

"In certain cases it does," he added. "If certain players have a history of injuries around the joints you have to think about the players' health and his availability moving forward.

"We've had to adapt our schedule around the players' recovery and team selection too, due to that.

"They are surfaces where you have to be careful, we lost some points early after the winter break by doing silly stuff on that type of surface and paid heavily for it."

Dutch Eredivisie giants Feyenoord, Ajax and PSV Eindhoven are to give a cut of Champions League cash to smaller clubs in return for them ripping up their plastic pitches.

Gerrard said he'd be "all for" a similar set-up in Scottish football.

He continued: "I'm not saying those owners should dig deep and find the money because I respect the clubs' positions.

"But the people that run this league should do more to make sure it is played on grass.

"Every other elite league plays on grass so why shouldn't Scotland?"

The SPFL, which is made up of 42 member clubs, said on Thursday it is yet to receive a proposal from any of it's members to change the rules.

On big clubs financing the switch, he said: "There are all kinds of different ways, whether it's TV, the PFA, SFA, bigger clubs trying to support, I'd be all for that.

"Football at the top level should be played on grass.

"Your Hamiltons, your Kilmarnocks, I believe if you asked their players away from the owners they'd rather play on grass."

Celtic defender Jozo Simunovic gave his thoughts on the debate ahead of Celtic's trip to Rugbu Park this weekend.

He said: "I can play and I'm looking forward to the game as we want to take all three points and continue our run.

"But I don't enjoy playing on these pitches, and it is not only me who feels this way. I think all players feel the same, and for me in professional football, they need to take them out. It's very simple.

"It is not natural grass, and we are professional footballers. We should play on natural grass.

"For me, I feel OK afterwards but some other guys feel it more after a game on Astro.

"There are many players who have been hurt on this kind of pitch. When you are playing every week on normal grass then after five or six weeks you move to Astroturf, it's a big difference.

"The people in charge of the game here care about it for sure. They are going to take their time because it's not just one team in the league who has an Astro pitch.

"But we believe that they want to fix it and will take care of that in the future."