In the aftermath of Rangers draw at Motherwell on Sunday, manager Steven Gerrard admitted that there is an inevitability regarding the destiny of his team’s current campaign and that title talk cannot become a distraction to getting the job done on the pitch.
There will be a strong feeling within the dressing room including thoughts and aspirations of success, but whilst fans can shout on social media, the papers can fill column inches and the phone-ins can have the callers queuing, Gerrard’s task is to maintain the focus that has served Rangers so well up to now.
As reported by the Scotsman, he said, “It’s going to be a challenge (to ignore the noise from outside) because the reality is there are big prizes to play for,”
“It’s impossible not to realise where we are as a group and what’s at stake. But it’s important that we don’t get ahead of ourselves and stay focused on each challenge. That’s where we are trying to keep the boys in terms of their thinking and the preparation.
“After a fantastic win, no-one gets too high and if we have a bump or don’t get the result we want, it’s important to stay calm.
“We haven’t managed to stretch our lead at the top but at the same time we haven’t lost anything either. You’ve seen two sides of us against Motherwell, a first half showing that wasn’t us and wasn’t good enough but the second half was an awful lot better.”
The Gers gaffer will be eager to get back back to winning ways on Saturday at Ibrox. The second half showing at Fir Park was decent but there is still room for improvement and for that ruthless streak to be put on display.
Rangers current position means that they are expected to go on to clinch the Scottish Premiership crown. There are still a lot of points to be secured in order for that to happen and the challenge to Gerrard and his players is to show that they are capable of getting over the line.