Rangers fans might not have had a lot to shout about this season but there is still plenty to be positive about at Ibrox.
Rangers are headed for another trophyless campaign domestically, as Celtic close in on an unprecedented sixth treble in nine seasons.
It’s a devastating statistic for the Ibrox side, who also let slip their crown of being the world’s most successful club by losing to their Old Firm rivals in the Premier Sports Cup this season.
Whilst the result continues to sting, Rangers regained their long-held win record over Celtic with a famous victory in Glasgow’s east end over the weekend.
But despite the complications at Rangers – who are also looking for a fifth permanent manager in only four years – here are five big reasons to be excited for the future.
US takeover of Rangers imminent
The first and most obvious place to start is in the imminent US takeover of Rangers.
Rangers are set to be bought over by a consortium led by Leeds United owners 49ers Enterprises and US healthcare mogul Andrew Cavenagh.
The buyout will signal a new era at Rangers, the 49ers one of the richest multi-club sports consortiums in global football.
With the takeover expected to be completed by May, Dave King claims the US buyout will be his Rangers legacy as the club’s biggest individual shareholder gets ready to sell-up.
Rangers will now be fronted by a group who have the readies to invest in success and sustain losses as the club closes the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
The American buyout promises a level of consistency we just haven’t had at Rangers in a generation but it won’t all be plain sailing as Rangers look to catch Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Rangers’ era of executive upheaval is over
With the US takeover will come an executive restructuring which will see Rangers put in place a new sporting director.
Rangers are in the midst of a review being conducted by US sports business group Sportsology as they look to get under the bonnet of what’s gone wrong in recent seasons.
Boardroom upheaval after boardroom upheaval has not helped of course, with Rangers now on their fourth chairman since Dave King stepped down in 2020.
With Patrick Stewart looking like a competent choice as CEO, alongside Fraser Thornton Rangers now have the skeletal structure in place to build ahead of next season.
The 49ers are expected to put one of their own men on the Rangers board with Stewart confirming the club are hunting a sporting director to help drive the footballing operation.
Who that might be is anyone’s guess at present but there are a number of suitable Rangers sporting director candidates.
Rangers have been without a sporting director since Ross Wilson left for Nottingham Forest in April 2023.
Rangers set to appoint and back a new manager
After the 49ers and Cavenagh have their feet under the desk at Rangers, and a new sporting director arrives, the club will move on to the appointment of the 20th permanent manager at Ibrox.
Rangers have been rinsing managers for the last four years, going through Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and now Philippe Clement since they last won the title.
This next Rangers manager appointment will be crucial as the Gers look to disrupt Celtic’s dominance but, perhaps more importantly, it can no longer be the be all and end all of Rangers’ fortunes.
With that executive structure in place, it’s about identifying the best man to go out and guide the players to success on the park, with better transitional structures in place off it should things not work out.
Barry Ferguson is doing a good job as interim manager but Rangers will assess the situation again come the end of the season.
Europa League progress as Rangers fly saltire in Europe
Rangers are once again the most successful Scottish club in European football this season.
Reaching the Europa League quarter finals, Rangers fans have two monumental ties with Athletic Bilbao to come as they look to record a famous victory.
The Jack Butland-inspired penalty kicks victory over Fenerbahce at Ibrox will also live long in the memory.
Rangers fans have gotten used to these late-stage runs in Europe and once again they’re beginning to dream of a run to the Europa League Final.
This season the competition’s showpiece is set to be hosted in Bilbao – in Atheltic’s stadium no less – with fans already booking their hotels.
It’s already been a Europa League to remember and at the very least Rangers fans will get two more big nights out of this season’s campaign.
But the Rangers team are dark horses to go all the way, even if they must overcome this season’s hosts.
We’ve not got a lot to sing about domestically, but in Europe we’ve earned the right to believe we can go out and beat anyone.
Rangers have a squad of burgeoning young talent
Whilst there’s no doubt this Rangers squad have underachieved this season domestically, it’s clear the club has a lot of young talent coming through.
Rangers slashed the wage bill in the summer and have focused on shipping out the overpaid Championship players who have failed to bring consistent success to Ibrox.
In their place Rangers have built a young team full of promise which could help the Gers in what is a sizeable rebuild on and off the park.
There are still big steps to be taken, but the likes of Clinton Nsiala, Jefte, Ridvan Yilmaz, Nicolas Raskin, Mohamed Diomande and Hamza Igamane have given the club something to shout about.
Even this week, Nicolas Raskin could be lining up for Belgium whilst Hamza Igamane is already impressing with Morocco.
No-one can argue that there aren’t any talented players at Rangers. It’s just about putting the pieces together more consistently.
