Fortress Ibrox is a phrase fans have been using for a while this season.
Since Steven Gerrard walked through the door, he’s been unbeaten in his seven games at Ibrox so far. Six of those matches have ended in victories as confidence continues to soar in Govan.
The good form at Ibrox has led to the manager stressing that he wants Ibrox to be a fortress. It’s a hugely popular idea to have, and fans are right on board with it. Why wouldn’t you be considering having a solid home form is a terrific trait to have?
But does it truly always lead to success? Here, we take a look at the numbers behind Rangers’ form at Ibrox in contrast with success at the end of the season.
Let’s take a look back at the last two years in particular in the Premiership. It was well acknowledged that Rangers let far too many sides at Ibrox take victories or draws when they should never have done.
Last season under both Pedro Caixinha and Graeme Murty, Rangers won only 13 of their 23 games at Ibrox in total. The year before under Mark Warburton, Murty, and latterly Caixinha, Rangers won a slightly better 18 out of 27 home matches. This, however, included Betfred Cup matches against lower-league sides.
In both of the campaigns mentioned above, Rangers finished in third place. Both also have a similar stat to that of Ally McCoist’s Rangers results in the Championship.
Under the legendary goalscoring hero, the Gers only managed 16 victories in an astounding 27 home matches. McCoist’s side ended up finishing third that season also.
Therefore, in three out of the last four seasons, Rangers have finished third in their respective leagues whilst home form has been dreadful.
When Warburton stormed to the Championship title in 2015/16, Rangers won 22 of their home matches that season. In total, they only played 28 matches at home. This perhaps isn’t the best comparison, however, as Rangers were dominant both at home and away in a runaway season.
When McCoist had his troubling campaign at Ibrox in the Premier League, Rangers were flying in the first half. The Gers won eight out of their opening 11 league matches at Ibrox. This opened up a huge gap over Celtic in the Premiership.
Yet, when financial trouble kicked in, Rangers could only win four of their final eight. Out of those other four, Rangers lost two and drew two of them.
In the first half of that same season, Rangers didn’t lose once at Ibrox.
In recent history, lacking in good results at Ibrox has led to dismal seasons. Warburton, Caixinha, and Murty all found that out. Nobody perhaps more so than Ally, however, who was so successful for six months before faltering in the second half of the 2011/12 season.
Gerrard is right to be making sure that teams aren’t winning or taking anything from Ibrox. If they were, then the Gers would be in for a rough season once more.
