Rangers “won’t stand still” as Celtic forced to play catch up

The speed at which Celtic have capitulated this season has been joy to behold with the end of the season seeing a root to branch rebuild for the club both on and off the pitch.

We have, of course, been there ourselves and know only too well what can happen when so many areas of a football team – including the squad – have to be ripped up.

Writing in his Daily Mail column and reported by The Daily Record, Gers legend Brian Laudrup feels that if Eddie Howe is the man to take the job at Parkhead that it won’t be a quick fix, much to the delight of a Light Blue persuasion.

“The problem, however, is that he will be trying to grasp a moving target.

“His obvious task is to drastically improve Celtic’s performances and catch Rangers next season.

“Gerrard won’t stand still. It’s simply not in his personality. He has raised the bar in the Scottish Premiership this season and will continue to try and do so.

“This year’s title is just the start of his ambitions at Rangers. He’s clear about that. Celtic are facing a huge turnover this summer but their rivals are able to build from a position of strength.

“For Celtic, this campaign has come as a huge shock after so many years of winning.

“Have they got it in them to accept that they might have to wait a year – or maybe two – for a new manager to build, implement his ideas and create his own squad before he is truly able to come good?

“To me, that’s the biggest question of all. And I imagine it was one Howe might have been asking in his conversations with Dermot Desmond and other senior figures at Celtic.”

It’s a strange, but welcome feeling, being able to watch the other half of the Old Firm in such disarray having spent years ourselves as a laughing stock, that those who have lorded it up over us for so long have deserted the sinking ship says it all.

Laudrup is right, it won’t be an overnight fix and if we maintain the same level of consistency next season, it’s going to take some effort just to close the gap, never mind challenge for the title.