We are less than 2 weeks away from kicking off our league campaign in the Scottish Premiership for the first time since 2011/12 and there is most certainly a feeling of excitement flowing through all Rangers fans.
We have added to an already attacking squad with both English premiership “hot prospects” like Dodoo and Rossiter, as well as stalwarts who have seen it all at the highest level and will definitely bring a great deal of much needed experience to Mark Warburton’s squad.
Having gone through a tour of America and also played 3 ‘competitive’ league cup games, now is a good time to take a step back and evaluate our chances for next season. Let’s make no mistake about it, up until the 18th of April last season, we were having the perfect campaign. We were strolling to the title and were in the final of the Scottish Cup. From there, however, we seemed to collapse, failing to win another league game and also throwing away the Scottish Cup in dramatic fashion.
The pain of that day at Hampden is something that will never leave our players, but it will remain with them in as constructive a way as possible. They will now know that that sort of thing can’t happen again and players like Halliday (who has supported Rangers since birth) will now want to win trophies next season more than ever.
That is just one of the many factors that will be in play throughout our quest for more silverware next season. Whilst we want to only focus on ourselves, our rivals will play a big part in trying to stop us from reaching our ambitions. There is no denying that the gap between ourselves and Celtic is far smaller than one would have thought it would be at this point when we were demoted in 2012, but there’s no escaping the fact that they too have a really good manager as well as a squad experienced in winning trophies.
It is set to be a very exciting season, and I believe that as it stands our squad is more than capable of beating any starting XI in Scotland. However, consistency at the back remains to be an area that may need addressing if we are to win our 55th league title in this coming season. So far, our defence has been good in pre-season, but we are sure to come up against sterner tests when the league campaign gets underway in earnest.
It is my opinion though that the 4 Old Firm games (Yes, I’m certain we will finish in the top half of the table) will not decide the title, after all, they are only four games out of almost 40. What could win us the league will be when smaller teams park 11 men behind the ball and we have almost 80% possession; we must ensure that we are winning those kinds of games.
Let’s make no mistake about it, we are Rangers and we do expect to win any league we are placed in. But, if Warburton wins us the league next season then it will truly be a remarkable story considering where we were just over a year ago.
One thing is for sure, it is a great time to be a Rangers fan.
Brilliant piece. Got it spot on. To be in the position we're in is almost unbelievable. Big thanks to King and the board. Warbs Weir McParland and all the players. And it hasn't gone unnoticed across the city. That's why they have paid a bucket load to bring in a "supposedly" top manager. They know what's coming.
Rangers are back and even if we don't win the league this yr our club is in good hands and moving back to were we belong. At the top.
#55 WATP
Halliday would die on the wall before letting Rangers down. His only problem is in showing "Broony" up so badly, he may have persuaded Sellic to replace him with a footballer. I will forgive him that.
I do think we need to take a leaf out of Celtics book they constantly beat teams easily last year & won the league, We need to be like that & not be shot shy,
Watchin the game the other night East Stirling did what every team does & pack 11 men behind the ball, now whilst possession is a great thing we need to stop having 12-15 passes & getting no result from it, Instead someone has to have a shot on goal.
One thing Tav is good at is having a go Waghorn hopefully will remember he has a shot in his locker. I do think we will end up in the top 3 by the end of the season,
I hope we really put on a show against hamilton & set a marker down for the rest of them
Disagree. When teams attack you have a better chance of scoring yourself. I think a few teams will fancy their chances and attack Celtic this season. That will give celtic a better chance of getting a goal or two themselves and the 3 points.
I can't see ANY of the other sides attacking Rangers. That includes Celtic. So every game will be a struggle to break down packed defences. That will, almost inevitably, lead to a good few draws. That could hurt Rangers bad in the end.
So the Celtic games will be vital for us. If we can win all four, a big ask I know, that could more than offset the points we will drop when faced with "park the bus mobs".
Agree – the Celtic games will be the most important. T'was always thus and will be again
Look all the pressure is on Celtic they are the champion's after all. No pressure on us of any kind just more belief that we can do it. The brand of football we play is not like any other in Scotland. Yes we had a bad end to the season but squad is much stronger and better equipped to keep players fresher . Some times last season you could see some of the boys needed a break. This year they'll be able to.w.a.t.p
If we could only get a better centre half than Kiernon I would fancy us to win the league.
All good comments guys, and all well thought out. Wherever the points come from, and whoever wins the title, consistency will be king, as will be calm and resourceful management. I believe Rangers capable of all of these essentials and can't see us being less than second. As an aside, there has to be a reasonable chance that Brendan Rodgers has already peaked, and I'm far from certain that he'll handle the demands of his players and fans too well.
Am I the only one who thinks Rodgers is a terrible appointment for septic? Surely any manager that has been at the highest level in the English premiership would never consider a job in Scotland. I assume he couldn't get a job down south. I think we will win the league but its all down to results outwith Old firm games no doubt about that.
he was out of work for a while for a so called "Excellent young manager"so it does make you wonder if the Cellik job was the only one offered.
I live in England & work with a lot of Liverpool Fans & they were delighted to see the back of him.
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