Upfront Charlie Nicholas admits he scored a Rangers own goal after Steven Gerrard's abrupt Rangers exit.
The former Celtic star last week said there was no chance the Ibrox boss would swap a Champions League glory bid for Aston Villa.
But Nicholas is holding his hands up now and reckons leading contender Gio van Bronckhorst faces a challenge but believes the Dutchman has the track record to succeed.
And he has told former team to seize upon the upheaval across the city after Gerrard left with his key Rangers coaching staff, including the revered Michael Beale, by continuing their rich vein of form.
Writing in his Express column, he said: "Whoever comes in as the new boss, there might be players he doesn't fancy - and then you have guys like Connor Goldson and Alfredo Morelos, who appear to be running down their contracts.
"The new man will have some big decisions to make ahead of the January transfer window.
"Developments at Ibrox will have delighted the green and white side of Glasgow, of course.
"I'm not saying Celtic are now favourites for the title, but if they can keep winning matches and put the pressure on the new Rangers manager then it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
"And, yes, last week I did say Gerrard wouldn't leave Rangers for crisis club Aston Villa. Well, I got that wrong!
"Gerrard's exit took me by surprise because a lot of people who know him well have told me he's a loyal guy.
"At the same time, I could see the temptation of the English Premier League.
"I saw Gerrard's interview and he looked excited about getting to Villa.
"It'll be interesting to see if he can pull them up the Premiership table."
