A big problem for Gerrard with a £15M solution?

It is becoming boring to constantly rue a missed chance to put some sort of pressure on our rivals from the east end in terms of a potential title race.

The vast majority of Celtic fans will admit that their own team have been very poor this season, yet despite there being a feel good factor around the work Gerrard is doing, we still lie a point behind them in the table having played an extra game – we are only a point ahead of Killie who have had pennies to spend.

A lot of Rangers fans will tell you that with a bit of luck, we would be a few points ahead of Celtic. We deserved to win last night and against Dundee last week, so that is 4 extra points we should have on the board. The fact is, though, that we didn’t win; and Celtic themselves can point to equally bad results and say that they should have done better.

Results are results and they cannot be undone so we need to stop looking back and talking about ifs and buts. It is time for us to actually put a title challenge to Celtic. The very fact that they are only 1 point ahead is highly frustrating, but it does mean that we can stay on their heels and overtake them by winning the old-firm derby on the 29th.

The January transfer window is going to be massive for us. There are a couple of positions which undoubtedly need strengthening. Both a prolific goal scorer and an attacking midfielder who can link the attacks and offer sparks of creativity when the going gets tough are vital.

Of course, it goes without saying that getting 2 players to fit these moulds in January will be both tough and expensive. However, if other sources are to be believed (and the maths does seem reasonable), then our Europa League campaign has brought in approximately £15m of additional revenue. Whilst it would be unreasonable to spend anything close to this figure, it does mean that Gerrard will have some sort of kitty to dip into in January (we hope), assuming he can offload the necessary deadwood from the wage bill.

If the necessary improvements are made then there really is no reason that we cannot mount a title challenge this season, given the poor performance of Celtic so far this season. They themselves are of course capable of strengthening in January too, which would provide issues of course; but that is a different story.

To date, Gerrard’s work has been fairly impressive given his lack of experience. He has made a few very good signings, and the mentality of the squad as a whole is slightly better than what is was under his predecessors. However, there is still plenty of more work to be done. With the correct backing and time to build a better squad, Gerrard may just deliver the goods.

We will see. On to St Johnstone next. A tricky game, but one in which we cannot afford to drop points!