Here we go, the moment we’ve all been anticipating all summer long is almost upon us. The season starts in earnest this Saturday, with all of us eager to see how this new Rangers team gels together while hopefully hitting the ground running, of course.
Michael Beale has to be delighted with the backing he’s received from the Rangers board. He had his wish-list, and by the looks of it, most of the names on that list seem to have arrived at the club during the off-season.
He’s been soundly backed, impressively so, in my opinion. Keiran Dowell, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland, Sam Lammers, Leon Balogun, Abdullah Sima, Cyriel Dessers, Danilo and Jose Cifuentes (almost!) have all arrived since the tranfer window opened.
Added to those brought in this summer are Nico Raskin and Todd Cantwell, who arrived at Ibrox in January. In total, that’s now eleven new players for the manager to work with.
Michael Beale will be satisfied with where he and the club are right now. It’s been a good summer in regards to the overhaul that was so obviously required. The number of players brought into Rangers shows a level of intent we haven’t seen in years.
The only slight issue (for me) is that I would have expected a few more players who are on the fringes of the squad to have left the club by now. In saying that, I’m sure before the tranfer window closes, we will see quite a few players depart for pastures new.
These are exciting times. Not since the Advocaat days have we really seen change on such a scale as this. With that, there now comes an expectation to be successful. None of us wants to see a season such as last season again. It was a season where we accumulated ninety two points yet never looked likely to win the league. We must be much better, that’s for sure.
The new forward line looks exciting, technically gifted, and very good, with plenty of goals in it. Four forwards brought in that all look to be major upgrades on what was available to the manager last season. If they can hit the ground running, I’d expect them all to contribute massively in terms of goals and assists.
Dowell and Cifuentes have arrived to bolster the midfield to replace Scott Arfield and the departing Glen Kamara. Dowell had impressed me during the pre-season games. He looks a combative presence, strong, and tidy, and I’d expect him to be a huge asset during the season. Cifuentes we haven’t seen much of, obviously, but the manager rates him very highly and, by all accounts, is very excited to be working with the Ecuador international.
Dujon Sterling could well be the player that ends up playing in the left back position. Neither Barisic nor Yilmaz have looked confident in the games so far but obviously it’s just pre-season. If that inconsistency keeps up, then Sterling will get his chance, that’s for sure. Leon Balogun returning is a smart move for me. He knows the club, the staff, and the majority of the players. I expect him to slot back in with no problems whenever he’ll be required.
Jack Butland impresses me every time I see him. He’s a big commanding presence in our box. That’s something we’ve been desperately missing for a couple of seasons. I expect our new keeper will have no problems at all settling into life at Rangers. I reckon he’ll be a mainstay in our team for years to come. Well, I hope so anyway.
With the rebuild almost complete, the new signings need to settle in, play well, and get positive results. Rangers must make sure to challenge on every front this season. It’s imperative. The league title returning to Ibrox is the number one priority. We need to be targeting one hundred points or more. If we can reach that target, the team will be there or thereabouts.
The cup competitions, again, we need to be targeting and prioritising these trophies. It’s been far too long for us to just be winning the odd cup here and there. Winning domestic trophies should be a yearly occurrence. There’s no doubt in my mind that Rangers should be holding up big shiny silver things regularly in way of thanking their fans for the incredible support they continue to give through thick and thin.
The board has backed the manager. They’ve funded this rebuild, backing the managers decisions on who he would like at the club while juggling countless initiatives that are going on inside the club.
They deserve recognition for realising what’s needed to happen at Rangers for a fair while now.
The fans have backed the club. Now, it’s time for the players to deliver. I’m intrigued to see how Michael Beale sets his team up. Will we play with different formations from game to game or even during matches? Yes, I think we likely will. That flexibility will be crucial over the course of the season.
Being brutally honest, the first few matches I’ll take wins regardless to how we perform. Getting the three points regularly at the start of this season will be essential to our progress as a team. Winning breeds confidence, and with so many new players bedding in, wins are all that matter.
As the players relax into their environment, settle, and begin to understand what’s needed to be successful in Scotland, the performances will come. It’ll take some time, but with so many talented, ambitious players coming in, I’m more than confident we’ll see an exciting brand of football that will be very pleasing on the eye.
That’s not to suggest they’ll get patience and understanding from the stands. No Rangers team gets time, as this is a results driven business. What the team will get is the incredible backing they always receive from the rank and file.
I can’t really remember the fans being as excited as this going into a new season. Everyone seems to be buzzing to see what Michael Beale has in mind for this team.
Success is demanded, and every player must have that drilled into them this week and every week from here on.
Europe will be exciting, as it always is. Our bread and butter lies domestically though and for me, it’s been far too long where Rangers have played second fiddle to the team across the city.
Next week, the European campaign starts as well. We will have a tough tie against either Servette of Switzerland or Genk from Belgium. Both teams could cause us problems, that’s for sure.
However, if we can perform well, then we will have a very decent chance of progressing to the Play-Offs where a fifty/fifty tie lies in wait for us. It might well be too early for a new team to be expected to reach the Champions League, but Rangers have the opportunity to get there, with the fallback position of Pot One in the Europa League group stages guaranteed.
Rangers need to deliver and Rangers must be successful.
I’m backing us to win the league and a cup.
Perhaps that’s the feelgood factor kicking in, but it really is time now for success, trophies, and for the demands placed on the club by the support are realised.
There’s very little wiggle room, Rangers Football Club is built on success, and because of that, the demands and expectations are huge. It gets real at 5:15 on a Saturday evening at Rugby Park on a plastic pitch against Kilmarnock.
If Rangers can come back up the M77 with the three points in the bag, then that’s a good start to a new campaign, as it’s never easy to perform well on that surface.
The manager has spent his budget wisely, on paper at least. Let’s get a good victory, a decent performance, and get back up the road in one piece, ready for a tough European tie next midweek.
This might come back and bite me on the backside, but I can’t recall being this optimistic about a new season in a long, long time as a Rangers fan.
Let’s go gunning for #56, and let’s have a terrific side playing an attacking, exciting brand of football. If we do that, we’ll be there or thereabouts, Fear no foe, and go out and treat opponents with little respect. I can’t wait for it to start so roll on Saturday.
Bring the title back home where it belongs, lads.
Four Lads Had A Dream 