Can Ibrox men beat congestion and keep up charge?
THE international break gives Steven Gerrard a chance to pause, reflect and take a deep breath. It provides a little calm ahead of an impending storm of fixtures that could go a long way towards defining exactly what kind of season this will become.
Rangers face ten games in 36 days upon their return. The true challenge, however, lies not in the congestion of their calendar but in the specific assignments that lie within it. At home and in Europe, their ambitions will be severely tested.
Of the ten games, seven take place outside Ibrox. Premiership trips to Hamilton, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Hibs and Celtic are joined by a Europa League visit to Feyenoord on November 28. The other non-home match, of course, comes with the Old Firm Betfred Cup final on December 8.
Three home outings against Hearts, Young Boys and Kilmarnock are scattered in between but, particularly domestically, it will be their displays on the road that influence in what mood they enter the winter break after a league showdown at Parkhead on December 29.
Last season, Gerrard’s men faced 11 games over a similar period. Losing to Aberdeen, drawing twice with Hibs and once with Dundee leaked nine league points, while defeat away to Rapid Vienna ended hope of progression into the Europa League last 32.
Beating Celtic at Ibrox meant Rangers headed off to Tenerife level on points with their rivals — albeit having played a game more — but all the evidence suggests any inconsistency will be more severely punished as winter unfolds this year.
While the Ibrox club’s improvement has taken them seven points ahead of their 12-game total last time around, Celtic are also five points better off. Ruthless result-gathering looks like being the only route to success.
Gerrard’s squad still have to prove they can sustain that kind of challenge, but evidence for optimism continues to grow in the wake of Sunday’s 2-0 win over Livingston.
Gordon Smith, twice a Rangers player before a stint as director of football, is confident they have what it takes to emerge unscathed from a demanding next phase. With one small caveat.
Having lost the opening Old Firm game in dismal fashion, Smith highlights the wider importance of next month’s return to the national stadium.
‘I think there is a different sense of momentum about Rangers now, compared to last season,’ insisted Smith. ‘That’s a mentality thing, as well.
‘The one big disappointment they have had this season was against Celtic. That’s something that is still hanging over them. They are just one goal behind in the league and have got themselves into a cup final. But they have to prove there is a difference when they next play Celtic at Hampden.
‘I know it’s a cup final with a trophy of its own at stake, but it could still be important psychologically in terms of the league. Having lost the last game comfortably, a repeat could have an effect in terms of their thinking about how the season could go.
‘That game will be crucial for Rangers to prove what happened in early September was just a bad, one-off day.
‘If they could get a win, they would get a huge boost going into the next league game at Celtic Park. The belief they would gain in terms of a title challenge would be significant.
‘I can still see it being pretty much neck-and-neck ahead of December 29. Both teams are very strong at the moment. The games between Rangers and Celtic themselves could really be the crucial elements.’
Fixture scheduling means Neil Lennon’s side will play one more game ahead of the next league derby, reversing the situation from last season.
A Friday night trip to Easter Road in mid-December for live television closed off a midweek in which Rangers could have rearranged a match against St Johnstone postponed by their Betfred Cup semi-final involvement. That game will therefore be added to the list after the winter break.
Regardless of when the real pressure periods arrive, however, Smith feels Rangers now have the necessary quality and depth to deal with it. Last term’s travelling woes have faded, with a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle the only away points dropped to date.
‘You look at the recent away games against Livingston and Ross County in the league and Hearts at Hampden,’ said Smith, a Treble-winner with Rangers in 1977-78. ‘Three wins away from Ibrox and, crucially, three clean sheets as well. There is a strength about Rangers in defence just now, which is helped by the depth they have.
‘Niko Katic and George Edmundson are two good players waiting for a chance and that means Connor Goldson and Filip Helander must be consistent within their performances to keep in the team.
‘It’s pretty settled in that department just now. They have a top keeper in Allan McGregor behind them, while Borna Barisic is really coming on to a game.
‘Yes, it’s another busy period coming up and people might think two games a week is a tough shift. But it’s not when you are enjoying your football the way Rangers are.
‘The main trophy Rangers are chasing is the league. They have a chance of winning a cup, which would be a big breakthrough if they could get a first trophy under Steven Gerrard, but the main one is the league.’