Rudolph Hucker
Well-Known Member
When we beat them at Ibrox in December 2018 it was a monkey off our backs, it was a fantastic feeling to finally get a win against them and not just hope to restrict them to 2 or 3 goals. It didn't feel that the tide was turning as such, just that it wasn't coming in any more and we could start to rebuild. We followed that up with a 2-0 win in May but it was a dead rubber so didn't really mean anything more than being good (as always) to beat them
When we beat them at the Saviledome last year it was another monkey off our backs, our first win there since goodness knows when. I think we all got a bit carried away, even though none of us could have foreseen the implosion of our season after the winter break. It still felt, even at the time, a bit more than hope rather than expectation.
It feels different after yesterday for some reason. I don't feel euphoric just to be beating them without looking at the bigger picture, I feel pride that the players and management totally outclassed them and were totally dominant in a way we haven't been for well over a decade. This doesn't feel like the cherry on top of the cake in the way the previous wins did, it feels more like another important step on the road towards the prize and the level that we should be aspiring to. We've shown that we can beat them home and away and finally have nothing particularly to fear as long as our team turns up and focusses on the job in hand. At last it doesn't matter who they play or what they do, we can do it better
Our problem for the last 2 seasons has been beating the dross as well as the filth, and even here we have seen an improvement. We've conceded goals in 2 out of 11 SPL matches, we've gone from looking like a bombscare moment away from disaster to having a rock-solid platform to build on in every match. Even Tavernier, who I have never had any time for previously, is looking much more assured in defence and is a consistent danger up front. Yesterday was a big test which he passed with flying colours (his delivery to Goldson was a thing of beauty).
If we can get Aribo back firing on all cylinders, integrate Roofe and Itten into the team and if Hagi continues to mature then we could be looking at a very good season indeed. For the first time in many years, I feel some confidence in a Rangers team to be able to deliver consistently. I'm not getting carried away, but we've now played 13 matches and haven't hit too many highs but have still played well enough often enough to be able to deliver good results consistently. This is different to last year where we actually played quite poorly on a number of occasions but (until the new year) ground out results.
It feels different, but GOOD different.
When we beat them at the Saviledome last year it was another monkey off our backs, our first win there since goodness knows when. I think we all got a bit carried away, even though none of us could have foreseen the implosion of our season after the winter break. It still felt, even at the time, a bit more than hope rather than expectation.
It feels different after yesterday for some reason. I don't feel euphoric just to be beating them without looking at the bigger picture, I feel pride that the players and management totally outclassed them and were totally dominant in a way we haven't been for well over a decade. This doesn't feel like the cherry on top of the cake in the way the previous wins did, it feels more like another important step on the road towards the prize and the level that we should be aspiring to. We've shown that we can beat them home and away and finally have nothing particularly to fear as long as our team turns up and focusses on the job in hand. At last it doesn't matter who they play or what they do, we can do it better
Our problem for the last 2 seasons has been beating the dross as well as the filth, and even here we have seen an improvement. We've conceded goals in 2 out of 11 SPL matches, we've gone from looking like a bombscare moment away from disaster to having a rock-solid platform to build on in every match. Even Tavernier, who I have never had any time for previously, is looking much more assured in defence and is a consistent danger up front. Yesterday was a big test which he passed with flying colours (his delivery to Goldson was a thing of beauty).
If we can get Aribo back firing on all cylinders, integrate Roofe and Itten into the team and if Hagi continues to mature then we could be looking at a very good season indeed. For the first time in many years, I feel some confidence in a Rangers team to be able to deliver consistently. I'm not getting carried away, but we've now played 13 matches and haven't hit too many highs but have still played well enough often enough to be able to deliver good results consistently. This is different to last year where we actually played quite poorly on a number of occasions but (until the new year) ground out results.
It feels different, but GOOD different.