.
And if we don’t win a trophy, is it still a long term project?
I agree we’ve made progress, and up until the new year it felt almost deliriously so, but the subsequent collapse and inability to remedy the problems that caused it can’t be ignored.
The defeat against Hearts in the cup left him looking completely deflated and lost for answers. We then lost at home to Hamilton and it felt like the highs of the first half of the season had turned to rubble. Our European exploits aside, the failure to get us back up and running domestically was really alarming.
People talk of it being an annual problem, but the collapse this year was much worse than last and he appeared clueless as to how to fix it.
The obvious answer is to just buy better players.
I felt right from the first ball last season that we were still two or three real quality players short of where we needed to be to sustain a title challenge throughout the season and ultimately the lack of them was a big part in our implosion.
The question now though is: will he be given the funds to add that quality next season?
There’s also a sub strand of that which asks if the level of quality Gerrard is allowed to recruit is actually the level of quality we really need.
Despite similar pleas last summer the only player of genuine quality we added was Helander.
The rest were punts really, squad players for the most part, and yet the official line was that we’d added the quality we were felt to be lacking.
So, with money set to be tight once again due to the effects of the aborted season just ended, can we be certain that quality will arrive now?
If it doesn’t, I fear for his chances.
I get where you are coming from and I completely understand the frustration that we are not winning anything.
Is Gerrard really a problem - or the problem - is the big question.
We are miles behind the filth in terms of what we can spend on a player or pay a player.
The have knack of getting big money for average players (Van Dijk aside) while we struggle to get anything remotely worthwhile for our players. I've seen plenty moans on here about the media bigging up their players and I agree it is nauseating.
The pisser is we don't have anyone building up our players - we don't have the media contacts/PR expertise that they have to do that. Almost everyone on here pours scorn the idea of building relations with the press/media but it is a valuable tool when it comes to getting money for players.
I doubt Gerrard needs to be told that we are lacking real depth of quality in the squad. You are not in football for as long as he is and not know how the squad looks.
For what it is worth, I think Dykes would be a good signing for us as it gives us something different next to Morelos - if he stays - or Defoe. He is a handful and would be a welcome physical presence in the team.
Has Gerrard made mistakes - I think we all know he has although our opinions on what those mistakes have been may vary. For instance in my opinion it was wrong to get rid of Candeias and Windass. They may have wanted to leave - I don't know - but they were capable of big contributions - more so than the likes of a Halliday (as much as I love the guy) or an Ojo or even Greg Stewart, decent player that he is.
I don't think a lack of money should be something that costs Gerrard his job. Big progress has been made on the European side where we have rebuilt some long lost respect and exceeded expectations in the last two years.
With regards to money - do we get an end of season payment from UEFA for our European progress or has that already been paid? What can we expect from the new retail deal? What new investment is in the air?
This was a long term project and no matter what our fears are this season we all must unite - because all we have is each other - and get 100% behind the players and management and make Ibrox as hostile as we can for the opposition and when we travel (forget boycotts for the coming season) turn the air Blue with our songs........that is, of course, assuming we get some sort of normality back.