The ticker-tape was still fluttering and the party had kicked off to celebrate Rangers’ first trophy day in a decade when Steven Gerrard again turned his attention to next season.
Sitting in the Ibrox Main Stand as he was interviewed by club legends Ally McCoist and Kris Boyd, he revealed plans to build on the success were well under way.
“I’ve had some really interesting meetings with the board and they’re with me,” said the manager. “They’ll back me and we’ll go again.”
It will be another big summer as Rangers look to strengthen for a Champions League tilt while also having to deal with the prospect of cashing in on players to help balance the books.
Sporting director Ross Wilson has been praised for his work since joining the club and Gerrard recently said: “We have a recruitment strategy here that does not stop.”
Scott Wright and Jack Simpson arrived mid-season from Aberdeen and Bournemouth respectively to help them settle in, while Nnamdi Ofoborh will arrive in the summer along with Fashion Sakala.
Former Rangers star Gordon Smith knows the importance of recruitment having been a player, agent and, albeit briefly and at the worst possible time, director of football at Ibrox under Craig Whyte.
Smith spotted a full back with potential in the opposition side and felt he could have done a job at Gers. Andy Robertson’s Champions League and Premier League winners’ medals suggest he was right.
The 66-year-old assessed the squad in an exclusive Record Rangers podcast and where they could strengthen, admitting now is the time to accept £20million for Alfredo Morelos and reinvest it in a bid to find a younger frontman in the Jermain Defoe mould.
Here, Smith looks at the different areas Rangers will have to focus on...
Player sales
“Alfredo has done pretty well but if it was me making the decision I would sell him and take the money.
Rangers reportedly turned down £18m (from Lille) last season and apparently they thought they could get it up to £20m.
He’s done a reasonable job but he’s inconsistent in a lot of respects and needs to come on a little bit in terms of the role he plays.
I’d take the money and use it for another striker but even £20m wouldn’t buy you a top striker in England.
That’s where the scouting has to be spot on and find someone on the up and improving all the time.
The Euros will be a big thing for players who have created a bit interest. They will be getting looked at in the summer and if the likes of Borna Barisic and Glen Kamara do well they might say, ‘This guy can play at the very highest level’.
Even if they do sell, they won’t have fortunes to spend but they have already shown if you spend it correctly you can get value.
Alfredo Morelos from Finland is an example and Glen Kamara for £100,000 for a player of his ability is unbelievable.”
Recruitment
“I was once on a scouting course and the lecturer showed me his report which he compiled for an English Championship club.
He said this boy was playing non-league but felt he could play in the Championship. The people at the club felt it was too big a step and they weren’t having him.
It turned out to be Jamie Vardy! He showed me the report. It just shows how difficult it can be to put players forward and get it right.
I once covered Queen’s Park v Rangers and I said during commentary I couldn’t believe Rangers hadn’t moved for the Queen’s Park full back because he was outstanding.
Of course, it was Andy Robertson. The mentality was he was just a League Two player so identification is key in players who can go to another level and that’s crucial for Rangers now.
I watch a few League One games in England and that is a level that looks a lot lower than Premiership quality but there might just be another Vardy down there.
There’s players coming through and you could find someone who could step up.”
Defence
“James Tavernier has had a fantastic season – his best for Rangers – and all of a sudden he’s got a challenge because Nathan Patterson has come in.
Connor Goldson has played regularly but Filip Helander is there and Niko Katic is coming back from injury.
Connor wasn’t getting a game at Brighton but that might be one of things that holds him back from going back to England.
He’s had an outstanding season but a lot of scouts look at that and think, ‘He’s been down there already and didn’t quite make it’.
But if he continues to do what he’s doing if Rangers are in the Champions League then a lot of people might look at it and realise he’s an outstanding centre back.
I liked George Edmundson when he was in the team but the Jack Simpson signing surprised me.
He’d been at Bournemouth for six years and is 24 years of age and he’d started 12 games.
That was a shock for me Rangers would be interested in someone who had been at a club and couldn’t get a game. You’re aways looking for someone who is a regular.
The scouting staff might have looked at him and felt he could improve but I’ve not been impressed.”
Midfield
“They don’t have to buy too many more in this area unless they look at Steven Davis in a similar way to Jermain Defoe because of his age.
He’s outstanding and what I call a continuity player - someone who is always available for the ball.
When the team is in possession of the ball he is the man who is there all the time, an outlet and guys who do that don’t always get the appreciation.”
Strikers
“Although they’ve got a few in place, they might still look for another striker because Jermain Defoe is the best striker at the club but he’s 39 years old.
He hasn’t been playing regularly and that’s just down to his age. They need to get someone of that quality challenging for a regular place.
They might keep Defoe on if the new guy doesn’t have the same quality and they could have the luxury of bringing him on.
I know Wright has come in and Cedric Itten has still to show his best form, and Kemar Roofe is improving but finding someone of Defoe’s quality is going to take a bit of money.”
The manager
“Steven’s done a fantastic job but he’ll want to keep building because he’ll be looking at Celtic bringing a new manager and players in and looking for a real jolt to get back challenging.
He came in and it was going to be a tough job - his first job as a manager. But he’s played at the highest level and the people I know who know him said he is such a strong character.
They said he’s dedicated to what he does, knows the game very well and as a captain he knew how to get the best out of players and that leadership is really crucial.”
The achievement
“Celtic went into the season on the back of nine titles in a row and on the brink of a quadruple treble.
The question at the beginning of the season was could Rangers challenge? I said I thought they would be challenging but they walked away with it and it was an incredible season to go unbeaten in the league.
In my first season at Rangers we won the Treble but we lost some league games because it’s very hard to maintain that level of consistency throughout the campaign.”
