When Rangers boss Steven Gerrard came into Ibrox, a trio of men had tried and failed to stop Celtic’s dominance at the Scottish Premiership hurdle and secure 55 for the club.
Mark Warburton managed to get promotion but didn’t have the vision to steer a club the size of Rangers, whilst there were times when it felt like Pedro Caixinha had none of it at all.
Warburton certainly outranks Caixinha’s disastrously expensive spell at Ibrox but none of them managed to string together a run of form like now Academy head Graeme Murty did.
Despite a lack of experience, Murty managed a run of seven wins, one draw and one defeat before Celtic condemned the Gers’ season with a 10-man 3-2 win at Ibrox in March 2018.
All three fell by the wayside of a road along which Gerrard is now about to go the distance. And then some.
There’s little doubt that Steven Gerrard outranks this trio in terms of achievement – even before this campaign kicked off – with the club’s development evident season-by-season.
But whilst Brendan Rodgers saw off that Rangers trio, Steven Gerrard has just banished a Parkhead triplet of his own and will go two better than the much-lauded ex-Celtic manager yet.
Rodgers himself disappeared after the first Old Firm defeat of his tenure, a vital step in Rangers’ development under Gerrard and a 1-0 win at Ibrox.
It also speaks volumes that despite the insistence from some quarters that things would be different at Celtic should Rodgers have stayed, Gerrard signed on at Ibrox with that fully expected to be the case.
Leicester is an attractive job but weighing up the possibility of Rangers catching Celtic and Rodgers failing in their 10IAR charge made it look like Real Madrid.
Stevie had Rodgers’ number; Rodgers got the heck of dodge at first light. One down.
This season, Gerrard has also seen off Celtic chief Peter Lawwell, his retirement basking in the sun of 10IAR destroyed by the storm of Rangers securing 55 and a microscopic analysis of his failure at Parkhead on the European stage, such has been our now consistent success.
This is a sweet tonic for Rangers fans who saw Scottish football’s governance transformed by the outgoing Parkhead chief – let’s not get into the tour of Japan or the UEFA Cup Final of 2008 either.
Neil Lennon was next, the Celtic manager tied in knots by a supremely more professional coaching set-up and a support making him the fall-guy for a decade of arrogant mismanagement.
Not only was Lennon’s sacking sweet for Rangers supporters – even if some wanted him to stay for 55 – but he has undoubtedly soiled his relationship with an angry Celtic support, no matter how much the club or some in the media try to frame it differently.
Next up for Stevie G is John Kennedy, who takes up his dream job role as caretaker boss of Celtic but who remains – but for a miracle – incredibly unlikely to get the gig full-time.
Should Rangers go this season unbeaten, it’ll be the final nail in Kennedy’s coffin with the Parkhead coach considered by their support amongst those who need to be clearing out their desk ahead of next season.
Now, attention at Parkhead turns to whoever Celtic decide to appoint as manager next with a pretty remarkable level of delusion regarding who they could possibly get.
They’re running out of time to make the appointment – with managers aplenty distancing themselves by the day – and with a period of boardroom transition and squad rebuilding ahead, this task is becoming more daunting with every step Rangers take closer to their first title in a decade.
If I was to hasten a bet over what happens from here, it’s that Rangers manager Steven Gerrard sees off the next guy as well.
There might be one other Celtic figure you’re thinking Gerrard could see off into the long, cold night but some reports have Rangers fans chuckling over a potential coaching role.
