The Gers have had a turbulent year by their very high standards since this time in 2016.
Rangers’ Barrie McKay is fouled by Alloa’s Kyle McAusland in the area resulting in a penalty to Rangers
Promotion, a cup final defeat, a new manager…to say it’s been a hectic year for Rangers would be putting it mildly, with a host of twists and turns on the rollercoaster fans embark on blindfolded when they pledge allegiance to the club.
This time last year, Rangers had just defeated Celtic on penalties at Hampden Park – despite being a division lower – following a 2-2 draw in normal time, and that may have given Gers fans confidence that their team could rival Celtic in the Scottish Premier League upon promotion.
The reality has been anything but, with Warburton being relieved of his duties in acrimonious circumstances which are still yet to be made transparent as to what actually occurred, while new boss Pedro Caixinha faces an uphill battle to try and finish second ahead of Aberdeen.
There is a colossal gulf between the two Glasgow sides when it comes to points, and even despite promotion from the Scottish Championship last year, Rangers’ mentality of ‘second isn’t good enough’ has made this season quite a bad one.
Celtic’s Stuart Armstrong in action with Rangers’ Danny Wilson
There is still hope yet that Caixinha can steer Rangers to second ahead of Aberdeen, but that will be the best it gets unless Celtic are defeated at Hampden Park again, with the two teams meeting in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup for the second time in two years.
While Rangers can take solace from the fact they are no longer plying their trade in the Scottish Championship and can set about being a major force in Scotland again, this year has proved that they still have a long way to go.
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