Over a period of about three years, Steven Gerrard’s record was eight wins, one tie, and four loses in 15 games. Five out of six meetings were won by Gerrard’s team during the season he won the league. Rangers’ most recent significant Old Firm victory in the league was also Gerrard’s final victory in the match, which was completed by Fil Helander’s head when the manager was at home watching Covid-19.

Yes, they won the Scottish Cup that season after defeating Ange Postecoglou’s team in extra time, and they also triumphed under Michael Beale’s leadership when the championship was already decided the previous year. However, in the thirteen league meetings that followed, they lost three more times before they won. Since that Helander header, the club’s record is two victories, three ties, and eleven losses. The macro of how the Rangers got here is necessary to understand the micro of yesterday’s 3-0 setback. This is not the result of a single issue, but rather of a pattern.

In December 2018, Gerrard’s first victory over Celtic was a significant one. Two seasons before, under the leadership of Mark Warburton, Pedro Caxiniha, and Graeme Murty, so many humiliations and humblings had been inflicted. The victory over Celtic, which Ryan Jack achieved after Rangers returned to the top division in the summer of 2016, had to be delayed for two and a half years. The current wait is longer for some reason. Rangers’ most recent significant Old Firm victory in the league occurred on August 29, 2021, more than three years ago. For Rangers, losing to the Old Firm has not only become commonplace, but also expected.

Does Philippe Clement’s current position at Ibrox truly differ much from Gerrard’s? There was a rival team far ahead, a team that needed and still needs to be rebuilt, Brendan Rodgers in the opposing dugout, and a distance to cover. Throughout this summer’s transfer window, each club’s spending and selling totals are indicative of a difference. It has never seemed more detrimental to lose the pole position you earned in the previous season’s title campaign and the riches that come with qualifying for the Champions League.

What’s the difference? The team was on the road to play Alloa and Dumbarton two years before to Gerrard’s arrival in Govan. This summer they were competing in a European final, two years prior.

That’s why there’s such a strong appearance of rage and, let’s face it, apathy right now. Is it really fair to condemn supporters who watched 16 Old Firm games after Gerrard for becoming disinterested when discussing how Rangers would escape their current situation and instead hoping to witness the strategy being implemented?

It takes patience and group buy-in to go on the kind of adventure Gerrard was given, and let’s face it, things weren’t exactly smooth the last time. A strong belief that the journey will be worthwhile is also necessary. It should not be overlooked that Clement performed incredibly well to turn things around in the previous season, and external crises have rarely been far away during his stay. Whether it was having different leaders leave at different times, hosting games at Hampden, or having a summer window that was a little constrained by not being able to completely clear the decks. After a Champions League departure, years of poor decision-making above the manager’s office finally caught up, according to an article published in the Rangers Review this summer. However, in Glasgow, luck will only shield you for so long if the Old Firm keeps losing.

After the game, Clement responded, “We will see in January,” when asked if he would admit there was a difference between the two squads.

“Of course, Celtic are a team with this team that started playing already more than one year, some guys are playing two, three years together, so many times together. We are just at the start with a new squad, a new team,” Clement reasoned after the final whistle.

Asked later in his press conference at Parkhead if patience from the fans was a must Clement answered, “There is no other choice”. His diagnosis is accurate. Long-term problems cannot be solved by short-term thinking, and this game has been played out under both of Clement’s direct predecessors. Here, his squad created the best two early chances while playing calmly and aggressively from the outset. Although they have always been wasteful in this match, did Celtic ever appear to falter for longer than ten minutes?

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Compared to their competitors, Celtic’s most astute move in recent years has been to follow suit.

It’s not a new idea, but hiring players with a same mindset and trying to keep the dugout consistent beyond managers helps players develop and flourish. Despite having a terrible summer transfer window and being exposed at this time of year, Rodgers’ team won 1-0 at Ibrox and got away with a lot of blunders. Indeed, it took the Rangers giving up the lead in the title battle for them to falter, but they really got going in the spring at the same time as their competitors.Like Gerrard’s team did, compare and contrast their familiar lineup from previous seasons in this matchup with the numerous lineups that different Rangers managers have tried in the same sentence, switching between formations and visions.

As was previously said, “Lessons [had not] been learnt in the Old Firm because who has been there to apply lessons between managerial change?” From the perspective of the players, yesterday wasn’t as familiar as it was last season, but the four seasons’ worth of football decisions have set the stage for no player-trading and a far less budget than Celtic.

It will require some time to fully evaluate whether Rangers performed well during the summer window. Sixteen players have left, many of whom made contributions substantially less than their pay, and contract payouts have decreased dramatically. As many remarks over the past few months have emphasised, the position that Clement inherited is not an ordinary one. The team is attempting to make up for previous mistakes by exploring new markets and reducing the number of high-profile transactions that Champions League football sparked. From this, it is evident that Clement and his group must persuade believers that embarking on the adventure and accepting the vision may put days like today behind them. Since we are now closer than ever to the days when Gerrard’s era seemed to be coming to an end.

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