Rangers are right in the mix for the Scottish Premiership title this season, coming into 2019 with a real shot of ending Celtic’s dominance of the league.
Rangers currently sit second in the league table, just goal difference behind Celtic, albeit the Hoops have a game in-hand and a chance to extend that gap to three points.
However, even if Celtic are successful in their bid to put distance between them and their Glasgow rivals, Rangers remain very much in the hunt.
They even beat Celtic for the first time in six years in the final game of 2018, making their intentions of challenging their great rivals for the league title crystal clear.
And they are also making their intentions clear with their January business. Steven Gerrard has already snapped up two experienced signings in Bournemouth’s Jermaine Defoe and Southampton’s Steven Davis on loan.
Now, Rangers, who are already enjoying a fine season, have added pace, goals and composure in midfield, and they are looking like the real deal. If it’s one thing that put doubt into the minds of Rangers fans that they could challenge for the title, it’s the lack of genuine high-quality in comparison to Celtic’s squad.
That changes with these two signings and there could even be more to come. Jermaine Defoe simply guarantees you goals, and Steven Davis brings composure and great deal of fight to that midfield.
It’s a huge boost for Steven Gerrard and his Rangers side who must now be a force to be reckoned with. Former Rangers player Billy Dodds concurs. He told the Daily Record: “Celtic have been so far ahead for so long. There is a belief among the Rangers players now that they are a lot closer than anybody truly imagined.
“Now is the time to strike and that’s exactly what Rangers have done with this calibre of signings. Rangers are not standing still.
“And this far outstrips the expectations of Rangers fans at the start of the season.
“They thought this campaign would be about trying to bridge the gap and then look to go again next season. But they have qualified for the group stages of the Europa League and they realise now that they are so close to Celtic that they are pushing ahead.
“In the past Rangers have dithered on deals but they’ve moved so quickly to get both Davis and Defoe.
“It’s Rangers telling Celtic that they know how close they are to catching them.”
Rangers were already title contenders, but they have now given themselves a serious chance of ending Celtic’s long dominance of the league which has seen them win seven consecutive titles, even if they are still underdogs at 3/1 compared to Celtic’s 2/9.
Even those in the green half of Glasgow may be looking at Rangers’ transfer business so far with a degree of trepidation. Now It’s up to them to add quality to their own squad if they want to continue their stronghold over Scottish football.
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