NOW THERE’S A CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

Rangers take on a solid look as Gerrard fixes rearguard problems

SOFTER than a scoop of ice cream in this glorious Scottish summer. About as reliable as a 40-bob watch. And as useful as a chocolate fireguard. There are myriad reasons why, over the past few seasons, Rangers have repeatedly failed to deliver on the big stage. None is more prominent than a defence which has often been a contradiction in terms.

Under Mark Warburton, there was Rob Kiernan and Danny Wilson. Pedro Caixinha paired Fabio Cardoso with Bruno Alves. Graeme Murty’s offering was Russell Martin and David Bates. It’s fair to say no combination was the answer.

Steven Gerrard required only two working eyes to recognise the problem. The solution has come by the way of Nikola Katic and Connor Goldson. They remain a work in progress but, after racking up three successive clean sheets, they at least have the makings of something positive.

Against Osijek on Thursday, a side which finished fourth in the Croatian league and hadn’t failed to score at home in Europe since 2000, the pair combined to a degree which belied the fact they are still finding their feet at their new club.

It gave the side a solidity which it has been sorely lacking for years. With Ryan Jack and debutant Lassana Coulibaly screening well in midfield, Rangers finally had the kind of solid spine that is a prerequisite for any degree of success.

‘From front to back we defended like men,’ Gerrard reflected. ‘The Rangers teams I have watched over the years did that.

‘I’m talking about the Richard Goughs of this world, your Barry Fergusons. Before the game on Thursday, we had lunch with Sasa Papac — he’s a proper man, too.

‘These players went out there and defended the badge, they defended the team. When they came to places like this, they hated losing. That’s the mentality we need if we are going to go places.’

More immediately, the only destination on the horizon is a familiar one. Rangers entertain Wigan at Ibrox tomorrow before turning their attention to finishing the job against Osijek next Thursday. Only then, with it complete, can thoughts of a likely meeting with Maribor be entertained.

Few, though, who witnessed a professional job being carried out in Croatia believed it to be a flash in the pan. After so many false dawns, it felt like a positive, solid step on the right road. It may have been no-frills at times but given the dark places the club has been over the past six years, no-one will take issue with that. The bells and whistles can come further down the line.

‘We are building,’ explained Gerrard. ‘We have only put the foundations in. There is still a lot of work to do. We are nowhere near finished yet.

‘What the lads have done — and credit to them — is they have applied themselves to find that base.

‘They feel good in that dressing room because they know now they have a base there. They have people who will go and head the ball, put their body on the line — do what they need to do to get clean sheets.

‘There will be times when you need to play more attacking football and football that looks better on the eye.

‘But I won European trophies with Liverpool. What I know is that you build on that foundation. You come to places like this and you are hard to beat. And then you get your rewards.’

One year ago, as Caixinha squirmed in a corner of an airport in Luxembourg, it was instructive as to literally how divided his players were.

On one side of the departure lounge, there was a faction of Scots. In another, a posse of Mexicans. Elsewhere, a band of Portuguese.

Gerrard’s new-look squad comes from backgrounds that are equally as diverse. But as they prepared to depart Osijek in the early hours yesterday, a greater camaraderie and togetherness was visible. This stems from a unity on the field of play and it bodes well.

‘I think the word you are looking for is trust,’ added Gerrard. ‘I think Allan McGregor now has two centre-halves in front of him that he trusts. And they trust him.

‘(Jon) Flanagan is in there, another eight-out-of-ten performance. Solid Flanno, that’s what he is.

‘Tav (James Tavernier) was up against their danger men for most of the game and handled himself really well. We’re building trust.

‘You know when someone makes a mistake, that it’s fine lines. Nobody is pointing fingers. We are all in it together. That’s what you try to build in an environment. Trust.’

They also look markedly fitter than any Rangers side has at this stage of the season for many a long year.

It was warm and humid in the Stadion Gradski vrt on Thursday. As Osijek started the second half a goal down to Alfredo Morelos’ header, you feared Rangers might wilt towards the end. Yet, having ridden out an early storm, they rather coasted towards the final whistle. If anything, Osijek were the ones feeling the pace.

‘We are very pleased with the effort and the application because we have been drilling them since day one,’ said Gerrard. ‘My staff deserve a lot of credit in terms of helping me get the shape and philosophy over.

‘I’m just as interested in what the players do out of possession, how organised they are, the runs that hurt your legs. When you come to places like this, you must run for your team-mates.’

In every respect, the timing of Morelos’ goal could not have been better. Having not hit the back of the net since April, it went some way to banishing the memory of some woeful high-profile misses towards the end of the last campaign.

Gerrard had marked his territory after Shkupi were defeated. He expected much more in the final third. In Croatia, Morelos went some way to allaying those fears.

‘I’m confident we have the talent and the ability to create chances and score goals,’ declared the manager. ‘We were one of the highest scorers in the league last year.’

For now, though, he is entitled to a degree of contentment about the way things are shaping up.

Gerrard’s assessment of the small but confident strides his team are taking is hard to argue with.

‘I believe that the (Rangers) sides I have watched over the last couple of years would have wilted under that pressure,’ he said.

‘The priority was to stiffen us up and turn us into men, to become a proper Rangers team.’