Rangers need fast start to build early momentum

SAYS ALEX RAE

FOR all the obvious improvement in Rangers last season, they were found wanting in too many defining moments. If it’s to be a different story this time, and the club is to win its first top-flight title since 2011, the players will have to show more mental strength when opportunity presents itself. The players who were at the club last year will know they could have done more than they did. They managed to get into a couple of really good positions but just didn’t capitalise. They beat Hearts in December to go top of the league then lost at home to aberdeen. Then, after winning the Old Firm game on December 29, they had the chance to kick on but came back after the winter break and lost to Kilmarnock. These are key moments. If Rangers do get to a position where they are looking down the way at the other sides, they will become pivotal. The one thing I do know from winning a title is that momentum is everything. Once you get into a promising position, you need to kick on from that. The other thing steven gerrard will be hammering home to his players is the need for greater consistency. What hurt Rangers most last season wasn’t so much the Celtic games, which finished honours even, but the nine extra points they dropped against other teams. They’ve added strength and depth to address this. Players of the ilk of Jordan Jones, Jake Hastie, sheyi Ojo (above) and Joe aribo have been signed for what they can contribute in the offensive third. Despite what their goals tally might suggest, that’s where Rangers didn’t do well last season. When they were up against teams that defended deep, they struggled to unlock the door on occasions. The players gerrard has brought in will improve the squad in terms of quality. They’ve recognised where they fell short last season. Yes, they scored more goals than any other team, but it was finding the breakthrough in the tighter matches that proved to be their undoing. Being more clinical is something gerrard has already identified; getting that second or third goal to put a game to bed will be vital. When you are on top, you have to score and then see out the game. I tend not to take too much interest in pre-season friendlies but you would think the likes of Ojo and aribo will have big parts to play. Last season, Jones was one of the most consistent players in the league with Kilmarnock. If he can continue that, he can have a big impact. I read Jermain Defoe saying he wished he’d joined Rangers three years earlier. That’s a player who thrives on the expectation levels you face every single time you pull on that jersey. The new players will have to grasp that immediately. It’s okay turning it on for sides like Kilmarnock or Motherwell but this is a different ball game. You can’t stress enough how important it is for Rangers to start strongly. It’s a tough start — away at Kilmarnock then st Mirren, Hibs and Celtic. But the mood in the camp certainly seems to be one of belief. everybody seems to be buying into what they are trying to do. They have to negotiate these early europa League qualifiers and hopefully the group stage while needing three points every weekend. It’s how they manage those situations. There’s a football element but also a mindset element. although you’d expect the Old Firm to be fighting it out for the title, I don’t think they’ll leave the other teams behind. all of them feel they can get results against the big two. I don’t think there’s a fear factor about facing them any more — especially Celtic. The other factor is that Celtic are undergoing a transformation under neil Lennon. Last season Filip Benkovic and Dedryck Boyata were mainstays but are no longer there. It’s a rebuilding job of that backline. They still have to hit the ground running as you don’t get time to bed in at a club like Celtic. The same applies to Filip Helander at Rangers. There’s no grace period. The fans are really unforgiving. It’s set up to be a brilliant season just through the sheer magnitude of it all. none of us will be able to take our eyes off it for a second.