Split at Ibrox – the truth revealed…

The inconsistency of Rangers this season has been a real blight on our campaign. Winning against Celtic in December then losing to Killie. Struggling v Cowdenbeath but overcoming Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

It’s been a mixed batch – but the standout truth is Rangers’ biggest failings have come from poor results against top six sides. Aberdeen, Celtic, Hibs and Kilmarnock especially have been Rangers’ bogey sides, and it’s been the losses and draws to these sides that brought Steven Gerrard’s season into the patchy side of life.

So when it was time for the Split, Ibrox Noise, and most fans in truth, didn’t have high hopes of picking up many points, and saw a real battle for second ensuing, with the likelihood of failing a real possibility.

And yet we go into the final match of the season having conceded just one goal and beating every side with almost universal ease.

To say this split has been a stroll is an understatement – no one, apart from a little Hibs renaissance, has had anything like an answer to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers, and we’re almost bewildered by how easily we’ve put away every side we’ve faced since the division divided.

If our side had had this level of performance and consistency earlier in the season, there is no doubt we’d have won the title. No doubt at all. Or, at the absolute least, pushed Celtic every inch to a likely final-day decider.

Brendan Rodgers then Neil Lennon’s side this season has been garbage. It’s that simple. It’s only due to how poor everyone else has been, including our inconsistency, that they were able to win the league – Celtic’s rubbish was still better than everyone else’s, and we accept that point.

But this split performance is a glimpse into the future, where this Rangers is capable of delivering, how good it has the capacity to be.

No one in this division has been able to keep up with Rangers – six wins on the bounce, every one of them richly deserved and form smooth and reliable.

It took a season to get there, but the split has been the real testing water of Gerrard’s vision.

And it’s passing with flying colours.