Many times this season Rangers have been tested with many waiting for a slip up. Many times Rangers have passed those tests and many times very little credit has been given.
The narrative has always tried to be created where it’s ‘They weren’t very good’ ‘they were lucky’ or if you are a regular user of an Ivory Coast flag ‘They are a poor side and will crumble any minute’.
But this is where we know that’s not the truth at all.
You see there are some who still believe Rangers are a team managed by Caixinha and still have Goss, Martin and Kiernan in their ranks. No offence to those that have played their parts, but the standard set now are way higher and at the levels a club like ours truly expect.
For several years we have been the punchline in jokes. Books, blogs, videos, everyone has had a little laugh.
Well who’s laughing now?
15 league wins on the bounce, 65 pts won out of 69, only 6 goals conceded and a goal difference 23 to the good of our nearest challengers.
Rangers don’t get anywhere near the credit we deserve.
That’s before you even chuck in the European run and qualification at the top of our group which contained teams from Portugal, Belgium and Poland.
Rangers are littered with quality throughout our side which has grown over time into a side we can all enjoy. In fact the only danger to this side is this side itself. As we saw yesterday that complacency is our enemy, but even then we seem to be learning the lessons that even the most battle scared die hard fear the most.
We have overcome a lot and the club deserve enormous credit. Whether it is tough games after Europe, a trip to the east end, victory at Rugby Park, a goal behind facing eleven in the opposition box, trips to Aberdeen or rebounding at St Mirren after cup defeat; This team has answered every question.
So when we wandered up to Aberdeen yesterday we were greeted with the performance we had all been waiting for. Yes, it was time for Alfredo and the Alfredo we had all been waiting for and we all knew he was capable of.
That sharpness, that threat, that pace and strength. It was everything we knew he was capable of and everything that we knew was waiting to burst out. But after twenty seconds some of us were cursing the same form we had seen before Christmas.
But very quickly that was forgotten as the 🐃 burst into life, a quick one two and a penalty was won. Just like the routine Derby win from last week, the vital movement had produced a game changing moment and Alfredo was at the heart of it.
I don’t know about anyone else but I suspect we have all had occasions when we could have easily driven Alfredo from Ibrox to a new destination. But there is no doubt when he is good, he is the best around Ibrox.
We wouldn’t have long to wait as lovely play by Tavernier and a flick from Kent gave Alfredo half a yard which he swivelled to belt home and send us on our way. It was quickly two in the second when an instinctive touch and finish put us out of sight in a game we won at a canter, it might not have felt like it but it was.
It was vintage Alfredo and everything we had been waiting for. We had spoken before about how Alfredo plays in bursts, like having a super few months where he is unstoppable ,well just enjoy this thought; Alfredo looks like that burst is coming now.
It’s all there for Alfredo, fire Rangers to glory and the title and win the move he desperately craves. It’s the ending that Alfredo deserves and we all want. Of course it would be lovely if he stayed and kicked on further but I won’t begrudge him that mega move if he delivers the holy grail before he goes.
Wouldn’t that be the ultimate two fingers to all that continue to belittle his quality.
There was still time for Rangers to make it nervous but the truth was we were extremely comfortable. This team is organised and has quality. We are a good side, we have some fantastic players who are the best in the country. Our biggest danger is getting slack like we did yesterday and it wasn’t as comfortable as it should have been. We were good enough to make it four or five yesterday at times, a result which flattered an Aberdeen team which is full of hatchet men and very little quality.
The days of front page headlines, a club being run like a circus and struggling on the pitch are behind us.
In fact with eleven wins required the horizon is in sight and the banter years are truly behind us, they have been passed over to the Parkhead area, much to our laughter and delight.
But as much as the horizon is in sight, absolutely nothing is won and we must continue to take one game at a time. We must stay humble, we must continue to kick on and this team must continue the journey to cement themselves as legends of this clubs illustrious history.
Now is the time, this time is ours and I wouldn’t bank against Alfredo being the man to fire us there. I blogged before and wrote that this team was still his and he was still the main man.
Continue like yesterday and he won’t be far away from being that man.
Keep going Rangers, keep your foot down and on to Motherwell. Give them nothing and bring it home.
Let’s do this
Four Lads Had A Dream 