Becoming champions was not without difficulties and Rangers, along with Ally McCoist, have yet to really prove themselves
Whatever else can be said about Rangers' 55th championship, it can safely be assumed this was the one Scottish football never anticipated. It is 13 months since the Ibrox club slumped into administration and five since the oldco Rangers was formally liquidated. As recently as the 2010-11 season, Rangers were facing Manchester United in the group stage of the Champions League. Last weekend, they were booed from the field after a home draw with Stirling Albion.
The wounds associated with Rangers' demise will take a long time to heal and bitterness remains but at least their supporters now have a tangible reward to acknowledge. When this season started, that was their only legitimate expectation. Rangers, as anticipated, have cantered to the Division Three championship – secured by Saturday's 0-0 draw at Montrose and Queen's Park's home defeat by Elgin – and their followers have generally relished a fresh and novel journey through the lower echelons of the Scottish game.
Clubs in the bottom tier have benefitted financially from sold-out grounds with Rangers' arrival. Further up the chain, the Scottish Premier League has witnessed a chase for second place between clubs who could previously only dream of such an opportunity. Rangers' fall may have messy but there have been some positive offshoots.
In the buildup to this Rangers title win, Ally McCoist did not offer much to play down its value. The manager spoke of the chance to claim the flag in March as a strong incentive to his players. "It would be the first step on a long road back," he said. "We're going to have to win titles, and at this we don't know how many or what ones. There would be absolutely no reason for our supporters and our players to enjoy it any less than they have enjoyed any other title before."
That sentiment is entirely in keeping with a bullish Rangers public relations stance since their outspoken chief executive, Charles Green, arrived in office. And generally that has worked; impressive crowds routinely exceeding 40,000 have appeared at Ibrox for fixtures against the lowest-ranked professional teams in Scotland. Green's bluster, that said, is routinely worthy of more scepticism than it is afforded.
McCoist makes reference to the ongoing, farcical situation within the Scottish game relating to league reconstruction. It is possible that Rangers could remain in the country's bottom tier if a proposal – and a fundamentally flawed one at that – is pushed through before the start of next season. Where Rangers have a genuine grievance is that rules relating to promotion, relegation and league set-up should be established before a season gets underway.
Yet for the Ibrox club there is an underlying commercial necessity for them to return as quickly as possible to the SPL, Europe, higher ticket prices and enhanced broadcasting revenue. That much was highlighted by half-yearly results that showed a £7m loss.
In basic football terms, Rangers' season has been more notable for the games they have lost than the ones they have won. Peterhead, Berwick Rangers, Annan Athletic, Elgin City and Montrose are among the lesser lights who have inflicted a bloody nose on McCoist's team. Dundee United and Inverness bundled Rangers out of the country's two main cup competitions.
The reaction to those defeats has been noticeably fierce towards McCoist, which is in part unfair. No SPL team facing Third Division sides over 36 games would win every time. Rangers, despite their illustrious past, are also an on-field shadow of their former selves.
Still, questions over McCoist and many of his players remain. Those recruited from the top flight on salaries of £200,000 and more – namely Ian Black and Francisco Sandaza – have failed to impress. McCoist has done little to suggest he can prove a fine Rangers manager in the longer term, albeit with a chaotic off-field scene as mitigation for last season at least.
The most positive legacy of this Rangers campaign will be the emergence of hitherto unseen youngsters. Again, though, that must be taken in the context of the part-time opposition against whom these players have flourished.
In a year's time, Rangers will inevitably celebrate another league win. Their ascent back to the top of Scottish football will not be short on intrigue; given the troubles of the recent past, Glasgow's blue half are more than likely to relish whatever opportunity for celebration becomes available. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.
Whatever else can be said about Rangers' 55th championship, it can safely be assumed this was the one Scottish football never anticipated. It is 13 months since the Ibrox club slumped into administration and five since the oldco Rangers was formally liquidated. As recently as the 2010-11 season, Rangers were facing Manchester United in the group stage of the Champions League. Last weekend, they were booed from the field after a home draw with Stirling Albion.
The wounds associated with Rangers' demise will take a long time to heal and bitterness remains but at least their supporters now have a tangible reward to acknowledge. When this season started, that was their only legitimate expectation. Rangers, as anticipated, have cantered to the Division Three championship – secured by Saturday's 0-0 draw at Montrose and Queen's Park's home defeat by Elgin – and their followers have generally relished a fresh and novel journey through the lower echelons of the Scottish game.
Clubs in the bottom tier have benefitted financially from sold-out grounds with Rangers' arrival. Further up the chain, the Scottish Premier League has witnessed a chase for second place between clubs who could previously only dream of such an opportunity. Rangers' fall may have messy but there have been some positive offshoots.
In the buildup to this Rangers title win, Ally McCoist did not offer much to play down its value. The manager spoke of the chance to claim the flag in March as a strong incentive to his players. "It would be the first step on a long road back," he said. "We're going to have to win titles, and at this we don't know how many or what ones. There would be absolutely no reason for our supporters and our players to enjoy it any less than they have enjoyed any other title before."
That sentiment is entirely in keeping with a bullish Rangers public relations stance since their outspoken chief executive, Charles Green, arrived in office. And generally that has worked; impressive crowds routinely exceeding 40,000 have appeared at Ibrox for fixtures against the lowest-ranked professional teams in Scotland. Green's bluster, that said, is routinely worthy of more scepticism than it is afforded.
McCoist makes reference to the ongoing, farcical situation within the Scottish game relating to league reconstruction. It is possible that Rangers could remain in the country's bottom tier if a proposal – and a fundamentally flawed one at that – is pushed through before the start of next season. Where Rangers have a genuine grievance is that rules relating to promotion, relegation and league set-up should be established before a season gets underway.
Yet for the Ibrox club there is an underlying commercial necessity for them to return as quickly as possible to the SPL, Europe, higher ticket prices and enhanced broadcasting revenue. That much was highlighted by half-yearly results that showed a £7m loss.
In basic football terms, Rangers' season has been more notable for the games they have lost than the ones they have won. Peterhead, Berwick Rangers, Annan Athletic, Elgin City and Montrose are among the lesser lights who have inflicted a bloody nose on McCoist's team. Dundee United and Inverness bundled Rangers out of the country's two main cup competitions.
The reaction to those defeats has been noticeably fierce towards McCoist, which is in part unfair. No SPL team facing Third Division sides over 36 games would win every time. Rangers, despite their illustrious past, are also an on-field shadow of their former selves.
Still, questions over McCoist and many of his players remain. Those recruited from the top flight on salaries of £200,000 and more – namely Ian Black and Francisco Sandaza – have failed to impress. McCoist has done little to suggest he can prove a fine Rangers manager in the longer term, albeit with a chaotic off-field scene as mitigation for last season at least.
The most positive legacy of this Rangers campaign will be the emergence of hitherto unseen youngsters. Again, though, that must be taken in the context of the part-time opposition against whom these players have flourished.
In a year's time, Rangers will inevitably celebrate another league win. Their ascent back to the top of Scottish football will not be short on intrigue; given the troubles of the recent past, Glasgow's blue half are more than likely to relish whatever opportunity for celebration becomes available. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.