Return of the Old

At the end of the famously glorious Nine in a Row period enjoyed throughout the 90’s, manager Walter Smith left Ibrox having missed out on a record-breaking tenth title. Held in incredibly high regard by all Rangers fans, Smith would always be a legend to them all, and was regarded as a serious candidate for finest manager to have led the side throughout its rich history.

He did not, for one moment, envisage ever returning to the marble staircase as anything other than a guest of the club.

Yet, on the 10th of January 2007 he was unveiled as the club’s new boss alongside his assistant Ally McCoist and new team head coach Kenny McDowall.

It spelled the end of a brief saga following the sensational departure of Paul Le Guen by mutual consent, after a torrid seven-month reign in which the club had suffered one of its blackest extended periods for many a year.

As soon as Le Guen departed Govan, Smith, the-then Scotland coach was odds-on favourite to succeed the Frenchman, despite some speculation also tying McCoist and Derby boss Billy Davies to the hotseat. Thereafter, it became clear Smith was very interested in the position and had to vacate his present employment with the SFA, which turned out to be a more tumultuous affair than anticipated, after they initially rejected his resignation; this led to him categorically quitting and David Taylor, SFA chief executive threatening legal action unless his organisation received adequate recompense for their loss.

It was resolved to the tune of £400,000, and all parties appeared satisfied at this outcome, which now leaves Smith and his second-in-command McCoist free to embark upon the journey of revitalising this morally shattered club.

The ultimate feeling engulfing many fans is one of joy, first and foremost. Here are two die-hard bluenoses leading the side alongside an extremely talented coach in McDowall, shamelessly plucked from Old Firm rivals Celtic and headhunted due to his remarkably successful tutelage with the reserves/youth side at Parkhead which led to such talents as McGeady and Maloney emerging through the ranks.

There can be no question this a very promising trio in charge, but there can be an equal lack of doubt that turning around this ramshackle Rangers side will be an easy task. Any fan expecting overnight success and an immediate return to the glorious past is very likely to be disappointed.

The question arises of what these three are actually capable of, and what fans can realistically expect to transpire over the coming months. Well, it seems pretty pertinent to conclude that the top two are coming straight off the back of literally turning around a truly shambolic Scotland side into a side able to fight its corner, and even achieving the heady heights of a defeat of the world cup finalists France. A dramatic scaling of the FIFA world rankings followed, and Scotland regained a lot of its lost pride, with Vogts’ horrendous regime thankfully a distant memory.

It seems dreamland to expect them both to have the same instant effect on Rangers, but, at the same time, who knows.
What most fans would settle for right now would be a return to a balanced side, with players approaching the level required for a club of this nature, as opposed to hideous signings like the unfortunate Sebo and the truly disastrous Papac. Some consistency, performances befitting the Rangers name, and an ultimate spirit lacking all-too-often under the previous regime would be embraced by the fans.

Smith and his team have a quite epic job to carry out. Every Rangers fan is desperate for this new era to have the foundations of lasting success.

Time will tell.