Good Luck Steven Gerraard - Boy Will You Need It

I CAN accept Stevie Gerrard's reasoning, that taking the Rangers' job was a “no-brainer.” Aye Stevie, nobody with any brains would take the job under that Chairman. There is nothing wrong with Rangers that the removal of the Glib and Shameless Liar who runs the club, and his replacement with a man of probity and vision could not cure. But, until that happens, the club will remain a long way off the pace Celtic is setting.

Steven Gerrard

I wish Stevie G every good fortune during what will surely be a temporary stay at Ibrox. Either, he will fail through no fault of his own, but because he has joined a toxic set-up, or, he will succeed, gloriously, and at the first opportunity, be whisked back to Liverpool. He is not at Ibrox for the long haul. And that in a nutshell is Rangers' problem.

They need someone to come in, halt the Celtic juggernaut and, as Ra Peepul demand: “Restore the natural order.” Now, with enough money, any reasonably-competent manager ought to be able to manage this. However, Rangers are a club without a credit line at a reputable bank, deeply in hock to a “lender of last resort.” The man at the head of the business is a convicted criminal, denounced by his trial judge as: “A glib and shameless liar”, and whose management plan depends on him spending Other People's Money.

His machinations to date have seen several very-good friends of the club say they will not give him any more cash, cash he needs to upgrade an inadequate squad and get them competing with a Celtic team which has beaten them in their last ten meetings, and by, in the last two meetings between the sides, by an aggregate score of 9-0.

In the 20^th century, Rangers made three significant managerial appointments. In 1920 Bill Struth, his number two, succeeded William Wilton and, over the next 34 years he built up the club's primacy in Scotland. However, Struth (pictured below) probably was allowed to remain in-charge too long, and, when frail, and in his eighties, he finally stood down, Rangers were not in a good place.

In Struth's final season, Rangers, with an ageing side, finished fourth in the table, behind Celtic, Hearts and Partick Thistle. At present day (three points for a win) values, that 1954 side was 16 points behind that season's double winning Celtic.

To succeed him, the Rangers' board appointed Scot Symon, a former player who had earned his managerial spurs with East Fife and Preston North End. He arrived at Ibrox having been a team manager for seven years. In his first season, he took Rangers to third in the league, five points behind second-placed Celtic and eight points behind title-winners Aberdeen (these are at present-day values, not as back then).

Scot Symon - took over an ageing side

In his second season, Symon won the title for Rangers, who finished 17 points clear of fifth-placed Celtic, and ten points ahead of runners-up Aberdeen. So, in two seasons, Symon engineered a 33-point turnaround in fortunes between the two Old Firm clubs.

In 1986 then Rangers' Chairman David Holmes stunned the Scottish football world by appointing Graeme Souness as player-manager at the club, to halt the embarrassing run which meant they had not won the league in eight seasons. At the end of the 1985-86 season, Rangers had finished fifth in the league – 22 points adrift of Champions Celtic.

Graeme Souness - engineered a 32-point turnardound in one season

Souness won the title in his first season, finishing ten points clear of runners-up Celtic – a 32 points turnaround in one season.

As of today, Rangers trail Celtic by 13 points. Even if Celtic win their final three games, and Rangers lose all three of theirs, at the end of this season the gap will be between the current 13 and a theoretical maximum of 22. Even if the improbable happens, and Celtic don't win another game this season, while Rangers win all three of theirs, the gap will go down to four points.

On paper, Gerrard would appear to be better-placed than either Symon or Souness was. The reality is, where it really matters today, in terms of finance and overall club management – the gap is far wider than when the other two managers took over.

If Gerrard can turn things around, he will have surpassed the achievements of Symon and Souness. That is the reality of the task facing him. And he will have to do this without substantial funds for transfers, with the rump of an under-performing squad and with untested and unproven reserve strength.

Good luck, Stevie, you really are going to need it.

FINALLY, if you like your fitba red in tooth and claw, there is only one place to be today, that's Abbey Park, Kilwinning, where the Buffs play hosts to the mighty 'Bot.

 Tucker Sloan - can you play mind games with someone from Kilwinning?

Talbot gaffer Tucker Sloan has been channelling his inner Sir Alex this week, to indulge in some mind games. Tucker reckons the West Superleague title is now Kilwinning's to lose. On paper, they hold a slight advantage over Talbot in not only points in the bag, but also, in their theoretic final total.

But, this is not a new position for Talbot to be in. They only seem to come alive in April and May, when there are two or sometimes three games to play in a week, and a Scottish Junior Cup final to look forward to.

Yes, on paper, it does seem that the title is Kilwinning's to lose. However, matches are not played on paper and Talbot will not concede the title is lost until the arithmetic proves this. I know, the fans are in for a treat this afternoon.