Ibrox side Glasgow Rangers finished third in the Scottish Premiership last season.
Alex Rae has told The Glasgow Evening Times that Rangers’ team need the same expectation as fans and class Celtic as their main rival, not Aberdeen.
Rangers are preparing for their second season back in the Scottish Premiership following the financial collapse in 2012 which nearly destroyed them.
The Gers finished third on their return to the big time last season and a whopping 39 points behind Brendan Rodgers’s side at the summit, who won the treble without losing a match.
Given the Bhoys’ supremacy, it is difficult to see any side challenging them in the foreseeable future, prompting suggestions that the Ibrox side should focus on finishing above the Dons, who came second last time around.
However, Rae, who spent two years at Rangers, insists that his former club must “aim high” and maintain the standards expected by supporters on the blue half of the Glasgow.
“Celtic will always be the yardstick for Rangers,” Rae told the GET. “I don’t subscribe to this theory that they are now competing with Aberdeen, I don’t buy that in the slightest.
“If Rangers use Aberdeen as their yardstick when the fans are using Celtic as theirs, you’ll end up miles off. You have to aim high.”
Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha wrapped up his third summer signing following a season-long loan for Benfica attacker Dalcio, who follows Ryan Jack and Bruno Alves to Ibrox.
It is a promising start, but plenty more talent is needed if they want to get close to their Old Firm rivals.
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