Lauren McCann

Rangers were crowned champions of Scotland for the fifty-fifth time on Sunday after a truly remarkable campaign.

The Gers, under the tutelage of former Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, are currently unbeaten both domestically and in Europe, having reached the last 16 of the Europa League. They have accumulated a twenty-point lead over their Old Firm rivals Celtic to secure their first Scottish Premiership crown since 2011 and prevent the Hoops from clinching a historic tenth consecutive title win.

It caps an incredible rise for the club (who were put into administration in 2012 and demoted to the third tier of Scottish football) since Gerard took the reins in the summer of 2018.

In his first season in charge, they finished second, nine points behind Celtic.

Last season they were a distant thirteen points off Neil Lennon’s men, albeit having played a game less when the season was curtailed by the pandemic and the table was decided on a points per game basis.

There were signs of Rangers closing the gap in those seasons however, they won an Old Firm fixture 1-0 at Ibrox in 2018 to record their first league victory over Celtic since 2012, before repeating the feat a year later, this time at Celtic Park to secure their first win at that stadium since 2010.

There is no disputing that Celtic’s demise this year has contributed to Rangers’ success in the league. The Bhoys have already lost four games (double what they lost last season) and drawn eight so far, as well as crashing out of the Europa League at the group stage, finishing bottom with a measly four points.

They have been in truly retched form, dropping points to sides at the lower end of the table and Lennon’s constant tinkering of the team in the quest to find his best XI and pick up much needed results yielded the opposite, as Celtic constantly looked disjointed across the park and particularly vulnerable defensively. This was a key factor in his departure last month, which came too late in the eyes of many fans, given how far the club had already fallen behind Rangers in the league.

Their 0-0 draw with Dundee United on Sunday, that handed Rangers the title, compounded the club’s miserable campaign, and they have a huge rebuild on their hands to bounce back next season.

Take nothing away from Rangers, however, who have performed magnificently this season, a lot of which can be down to Gerard’s tactical nous. During his time in Glasgow, the Englishman has attempted to implement an attacking style of football which has paid dividends this season after some fine tuning during the previous two campaigns.

He has alternated between setting his side up in a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 formation with a single or double pivot (Davies and/or Kamara) at the base of midfield depending on the caliber of opposition. He opts for inverted forwards (usually Kent and Hagi) which allows for his full backs (often Tavernier and Balogun or more recently Patterson) to cause damage out wide on the overlap, as they have so much license to roam forward.

It is a philosophy seemingly inspired by Jurgen Klopp’s all-conquering Liverpool side, and has proven to be extremely effective. Gerard, like Klopp, has a marauding right back at his disposal in his captain James Tavernier. The skipper has recorded 17 goals and 15 assists in all competitions this season, which are remarkable statistics for a full back.

Unlike the German manager, however, Gerard likes to play with an out-and-out striker up front in Morelos and sometimes chooses to throw in an additional front man like Kemar Roofe, who has been an inspired signing, to help the Colombian. 'El Bufalo’ already has 15 goals and 12 assists to his name so far this term and is continuously being linked with a move to a Premier League side.

Rangers are not as heavily reliant on their talismanic striker as they have been in recent seasons, with their improved squad depth as a result of shrewd recruitment and much needed investment, ensuring they have talented players waiting in the wings if Morelos or any of the other forwards are having an off day.

The Gers have tended to share the goals around the squad, with 15 different scorers so far this term. Kent and Roofe join Morelos and Tavernier in double figures for goals with Hagi, Arribo and Arfield not far off them having also chipping in with a combined 20 goals in the league this season.

Whilst their exciting forward play has been well documented, Rangers have also excelled at the other end this season.

The evergreen Allan McGregor still stars in goal for the Gers at the age of 39 and he along with Conor Goldson, have formed the bedrock of a Rangers backline which has conceded just twelve goals in the league. It is this combination of defensive solidity and attacking prowess which has propelled Rangers to the title and has enabled them to sweep aside many teams with ease so far this term.

With just six games remaining of the current Scottish Premiership season, Rangers still have a lot to play for.

There is the chance to create even more history and go unbeaten domestically for a full campaign as well as the prospect of going deep into the Europa League. Gerard will be keen to ensure that standards don’t slip from now until the end of May but regardless of how the season finishes for the Gers, it will go down as a campaign jubilant fans will never forget. This was the season in which Rangers clinched their long-awaited fifty-fifth title and returned to the pinnacle of the Scottish game – and, oh, how they did it in style.

Lauren McCann is an English and Spanish student at QUB. Listen to her on The Sporty Scoop every Wednesday.

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