The 4-0 win over Aberdeen at Ibrox was the perfect way to end a league campaign. The home record in the league was perfect and the league season couldn’t have gone much better, even if you had to map it out yourself before a ball was kicked.
It has been hard this season not being able to attend matches due to the pandemic, watching from home. It didn’t feel right. Even as James Tavernier ran out the tunnel for the final time this season, it still didn’t feel right. But what did feel right was seeing the Rangers captain lift that league title.
It was a special moment. Ten years on from the day when Rangers won title number 54 at Rugby Park, they lifted title number 55 by swatting Aberdeen aside as if they weren’t there for the majority of the match to complete an invincible league season.
Sometimes Rangers had to play well but let’s face it - they have been so good in the league that they barely have had to play to their maximum to win this title. Yes, the title was lifted yesterday but it was won more than two months ago.
However, while the players deserve all the credit in the world for completing this achievement, this would never have been possible without the fans.
They back this club every time, no questions asked; it’s what they do. We buy season tickets, memberships and everything else, and most of us don’t want refunds when we have poor seasons.
But without that support from the fans, there is no 55, there is no Rangers and that has been evident for the past decade. It’s been a tough one.
From Brechin’s famous hedge until now. We will never forget those days as they played an important role to get Rangers to where they are today.
Personally, I felt at times during those years that days like Saturday would never come again. It was wonderful to witness. It was almost perfect, the only thing that would have made it perfect is if the fans had been in attendance to show their appreciation and put the last 10 years behind them.
And that leads me to the manager, Steven Gerrard. He came in three years ago, as he said, a rookie. It hasn’t been plain sailing for him at times. In the beginning he was more like a captain than a manager - he got a bit emotional at times.
But this season, he got it spot on. Right from the off, he seemed different. There was no going over the top in praise or criticism or lauding it after victories. It was purely business.
He’s now given Rangers fans a team they can relate to, a team they can be proud of and most importantly a team that is a winning team. Winning is everything. It’s all we ever wanted.
But without Gerrard ‘getting it’ and bringing his high standards along with his backroom team that have grown throughout the three-year spell, this doesn’t happen. His appointment has been monumental and without doubt that decision has this club back to where it should be, sitting as Scottish football’s top dogs.
It’s up to Gerrard along with his team and the magnificent backing from the guys in the boardroom, to build on this success and attempt to build his own legacy in Glasgow.
People will point to the fact Gerrard has only won one trophy in nine as a comfort blanket and as a way to try and diminish this achievement from this wonderful football club. But the club and fans should and will milk it for the next few months and look back on this season with immense pride – everyone deserves it.
But at the end of the day, this season is pretty simple when you break it down: Played 38 Won 32 Drawn 6 with 102 points. A season like no other, a season where Rangers became invincible and showed why Gerrard’s hard work paid off and made his year-three squad ‘Simply the Best.’
It’s been a long time coming but now we can safely say that Rangers are back! I wonder if anyone can see them yet?
