Michael Stewart has waxed lyrical about Rangers in his latest BBC Sportscene Analysis piece, asserting that they are a ‘different animal’ this season.
Stewart has been heavily criticised by Gers supporters for his takes on a number of matters involving the club, while in February 2020 he was briefly suspended by the BBC after he made unsubstantiated claims about former Rangers PR chief Jim Traynor [Herald].
The Gers’ outstanding Premiership season to date makes them hard to criticise right now, though, and Stewart’s latest comments are glowing.
Following a 1-1 draw at Motherwell on Sunday afternoon, the Gers have 66 points from 24 matches, with 21 wins, three draws and no defeats.
It’s a remarkable return and Stewart thinks Steven Gerrard’s side could go the whole season without tasting Premiership defeat.
‘There’s no doubt Rangers could go unbeaten in the league,” he wrote [BBC Sport]. “They’ve got such a comfortable lead that only taking their foot off the gas and getting a sucker punch could cost them.’
‘There are definitely a few things that are there to work towards Rangers being able to do it and I think they’ve got enough ability in their side. If you map out the rest of the season, I don’t think there are going to be too many fixtures in there to give genuine concerns that’ll push them to the edge.
‘Rangers are a different animal this season: they have consistency and the ability to win games when they’re not playing at their best.’
He went on to assert that with Celtic struggling as Rangers power clear, there has been a ‘massive sea change and shift in power.’
The potential for Rangers to have an invincible season hasn’t been spoken of a lot, with the focus to date being, quite rightly, solely on the club securing a 55th top-flight title.
There’s still plenty of work to do to reach that goal and Sunday’s minor slip-up at relegation-threatened Motherwell was a reminder that there’s no room for complacency.
However, with the bulk of matches already played and a number of tough fixtures safely negotiated in recent weeks, it’s certainly a possibility as Rangers move towards the home straight.
The Gers will be determined not to lose any key players this month, so it’s a big boost that a talented operator who has started five of the last six Premiership matches has stated that he’s happy at Ibrox amid reported interest from a big Champions League club.
