Last season, after an appalling start, eventually yielded two trophies giving us an unforgettable Cup Final to reminisce about into the bargain, and we were playing in European competition after Christmas for the first time since 1993.
On paper this looks like a relatively successful season; however, in the interests of balance, can it be viewed a success when you consider we were eliminated from the Champion's League by a very poor Fenerbahce team, and to all intents and purposes were out of the League race in Scotland before the New Year?
Using seasons not long past as a comparison, I'd suggest that while trophies are always welcome, for a Club of our standing and ambition that was not been a wonderfully rewarding season; but we could be on the brink of a rewarding new era under the new manager and I am looking to the future with a fair amount of optimism, albeit tempered with a certain amount of realism.
The optimism is based on the results we have had so far under McLeish, and the team spirit that has been regenerated. Given the right backing and TIME, I - and I speak as a critic of the appointment at the time it was made - feel sure we have the right man in the hotseat to restore us to our rightful position at home and to take us that step forward in Europe.
But, and there's always a but, I am concerned that our previous recklessness in the transfer market is going to hold us back a bit, and in my view this places undue pressure on the new manager.
This is where the realism comes in. He simply won't have at his disposal the galactic sums of money that were available to Smith and Advocaat.
Alex McLeish is going to have a massive job on his hands until we get our feet cleared and it looks like we'll only see new players arriving when and if we sell players deemed surplus to requirements or get offers we can't refuse.
And it looks very much like the days of TV-funded mega transfer fees are about to come to and end which will mean further restrictions placed on him when it comes to moving players on in terms of money coming in. But, as I said in a previous article last season, what he has accomplished so far with what he inherited has been highly encouraging and augurs well for the coming seasons, which, this one especially, look like being a watershed for our beloved Club.
As mentioned, the new manager won't get the vast sums awarded to his predecessors and to this end we have to hope that Auchenhowie bears fruit in the very near future as it would appear the days of quick fixes are over. Which won't be a bad thing in all honesty if it means we won't see repeats of the Marcus Gayle farce, and it would appear that we will have to promote talented youngster to the first team - an act that previous managers seemed to be keen to avoid whenever possible.
I'm not saying we'll have an eleven out on the park that are totally home grown in the future but I do think there should be a blend of imports and indigenous talent in the team - look at Man United and Liverpool for a couple of perfect examples to illustrate the benefits of having a supply of talented youngsters and I hope to see us benefit in the same way via Auchenhowie.
So that's the future on the park: a greater emphasis on coaching youngsters through the ranks with purchases from out with these boundaries inevitably arriving but at a much less frequency than we've seen in the past. Will it work? With Alex McLeish at the helm I'm sure it will. We will just have to accept he is working with restrictions imposed on him.
That's what I foresee happening ON the park; matters off the park need to be addressed as well, but it's anybody's guess as to what will happen here. Like most supporters, I like to look for a positive aspect in ANYTHING my Club does and to that extent it would be wonderful to think that the friendly in Belfast in July is a result of the Club realising that this will be very popular with Rangers supporters everywhere and not merely a commercial exercise.
The Bears in Ulster will have an opportunity to see Rangers travel to THEM, while the Mainland Bears get a trip, not only to see Rangers in Northern Ireland, but to catch up with old acquaintances and to visit the various Rangers establishments over the water. Like I've said, I hope this is a gesture to reward Loyalty from Rangers, but like GS said in the last FF, a Rangers visit there is WAY overdue and the time that's lapsed since our last visit along with other situations that need rectified make it imperative that we get a Rangers-minded individual working inside Ibrox immediately.
I mentioned other situations, the most obvious of which is the slime in the media having a blank cheque to write what they want. Last April the media's assault on our Club continued apace: the Sunday Herald carried an article that claimed Rangers supporters threw fruit at Mark Walters and Bill Leckie in The Sun has called Rangers supporters 'Orange Scum.' Now I'm quite sure this will be mentioned in greater depth elsewhere in the fanzine so I'll only mention them to make my point.
To counter and defeat lies and slander like these we NEED a Rangers supporter working inside Ibrox to deal with the cretins in the Press when they spout their bile. We NEED somebody within Ibrox Stadium who knows and appreciates and is proud of the history, culture, and ethos surrounding Rangers FC and Rangers FC supporters. We NEED a Rangers employee who isn't scared or too apathetic to tackle our enemies in the media.
Now the trip to Belfast that's arranged is a small, but hopeful sign that certain Rangers employees ARE starting to listen to the wants and concerns of the Bears and if this is the case then it is most certainly to be welcomed; it is however, not enough.
A radical overhaul of the attitude some Rangers employees is needed, and if they are not prepared to do their job properly then they must vacate and leave the job for somebody more suited. A Rangers employee should live and breathe the Club as much as the punter who builds his or her life around Rangers. A Rangers employee should be as hurt and angry as a Rangers supporter when our club is slandered and besmirched in the media. In short, we need a Bear working for Rangers, which seems an unbelievable statement to make - but given the current head in the sand attitude at Ibrox is a statement that needs to be made - but if the current custodians want us to think that they ARE listening to us, then EMPLOYING one of us is the way to go about it. Somebody who knows what makes us tick and who knows what we are concerned about. And most of all, somebody we can approach to express these concerns.
It's not much to ask. Recently I suggested in an e-mail to the Club that they hold another series of roadshows like they did in 1991 - it would be an immense gesture if the Club were to do something like this. If they're serious about listening to us then giving us a platform to question them would go a great way to recapturing confidence the supporters have lost due to recent inaction on the part of the Club.
So here endeth a rant. It goes without saying I hope every Bear enjoys this season, which we all hope continues in the way the last one ended. Just do it, Rangers!
We are, and forever will remain, The People.
God Bless The Rangers - The Greatest Football Club in the history of the game.
STEVIE, THE AYRSHIRE BILLY BOY