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THIS was more than a bump in the road for the Rangers. Steven Gerrard must now make sure the wheels don’t come off at Ibrox.
The one game at a time mantra has been well used by Gerrard and his players this period, but the next five could define how the season unfolds. Rangers will face familiar questions and must find different answers.
It matters little that the loss to St Mirren on Wednesday night was the first of the season. The previous 27 games are in the past, and now the following are very important for the Rangers.
Of all the nights the Rangers could have chosen to produce such a weak performance, for making the mistakes that are so out of place, this one certainly wasn’t. The importance of the Betfred Cup quarter-finals cannot be underestimated, nor can the sense of disappointment, anger and frustration being felt amongst the fans right now.
The first outings at the hands of Aberdeen and Hearts in recent years hurt the Rangers at the time, but those feelings are deeper and more acute right now. This is a side that had shown a higher level and a different approach in the first months of the campaign and it is unfathomable how they were able to take a step back after so much progress.
This one really had to win and the Rangers are now paying the price for failing to do so. Just as the path to cup glory was blazed, they find themselves at a dead end after St Mirren joined Livingston, Hibernian and St Johnstone in the last four.
As the Buddies bask in their glory, the headlines will read very differently for the Rangers. The positives have been abundant this quarter, but the first real negative of the campaign will cast a shadow that will linger for some time.
Gerrard took full responsibility for the form of performance and the bottom line at Paisley and will have to do the same when it comes to picking up his players and making sure they are ready to play when Motherwell visits Ibrox this weekend. The reaction will be overwhelming.
The Rangers are in a position that they are familiar with but have not experimented with so far in this period. In times past, his troubles quickly got out of hand and Gerrard can’t afford a winter of discontent right now.
It can be easy to overreact to the thrill of defeat, but whatever fears fans have right now doesn’t come from just one game. Instead, it’s a concern about what can happen after you’ve lived through two seasons in which hopes have risen only to be crushed by notable collapses.
As trials have been passed, many impressively, at home and abroad in recent months, there has always been a thought in the back of the mind that the greatest would face adversity rather than succeed. That moment has already come for the Rangers.
The way the Rangers have shown so far this season does give them credit in the bank, but it is the cutlery in the trophy cabinet who must deliver. Gerrard fully understands and accepts that and running a third consecutive campaign without a medal would be completely unacceptable, regardless of the other significant improvements that have been made during his tenure.
The Betfred Cup could have been the foundation on which to build in that regard, a success that broke the sterile spell. The Rangers remain a team that must win, but has yet to prove it can.
No title in seven attempts is not a good read for Gerrard and the Premiership title race is now decisive for the 40-year-old. Given that fact, the career that led to the Old Firm game, and included, is perhaps the most important of his tenure at Ibrox.
The undefeated sequence of this period would always come to an end at some point and the Rangers must now show they have the mindset and character to respond in the right way.
There are four games, home to Motherwell and Hibernian and away to St Johnstone and St Mirren, before the second derby of the season and the challenge is obvious for Rangers. Each must be won over to ensure that any fear of mistakes being repeated and that old failures that come back to haunt them can be discarded rather than allowed to fester and grow.
Much of his 27-game undefeated sequence was built on confidence and momentum. One may have made a dent in defeat, but the other cannot be completely lost as a result.
Victory over the Steelmen on Saturday will put Rangers 16 points ahead of Celtic in the Premiership. While Neil Lennon’s team will have three games in hand, that’s a significant position of strength to be in at this stage of the campaign.
It would leave this defeat, albeit extremely damaging, behind them on the first try and give Gerrard’s team a chance to get back on the front foot. Following him for the next week and then firing Celtic would be a real show of intention in the title race.
That is the scenario the Rangers must now aim for and the answer they must show if they want to convince that they have that mark of champions rather than just the appearance of challengers on them once again.
The Rangers have faced their first problems on the road to success this season. Now they have to find the top gear one more time to avoid the risk of crashing and burning a third time.
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