Gordon Durie believes Rangers were “not that far away” from Celtic last season and that Lawrence Shankland can help close the gap further.
Speaking after Shankland’s move to Ibrox, the former Rangers striker backed the Scotland international to help Danny Röhl’s side mount a stronger title challenge to Celtic.
Celtic supporters will be forgiven for greeting those claims with a shrug.
Ever since Rangers’ collapse in 2012, there has been a steady stream of predictions about the moment the gap would finally close. New managers have arrived, big signings have been unveiled and fresh projects have been launched.
Yet Celtic have continued to dominate Scottish football.
Shankland may prove to be a good signing, but the suggestion that Rangers are suddenly poised to reel Celtic in is one supporters across Glasgow’s east end have heard many times before.
If it comes down to these two… who are you picking as Celtic manager?
Gordon Durie’s Rangers claim does not stand up to Celtic scrutiny
The former Ibrox star told The Mirror, “Lawrence can definitely help close the gap on Celtic. Rangers weren’t that far away this season. They had been well placed up to the last five games.
“The manager will put together a new squad and we will all look forward to it all starting again next season.”
“It is a great bit of business. For me, though, it was two years too late. It should have happened before now.
“Listen, he is a goal-scorer. He wins games and can be the difference between one and three points. I am really looking forward to him wearing that blue jersey and leading the line for Rangers. It is exciting.”
There is no argument that Shankland is a decent signing.
What is difficult to understand why former players never learn their lesson and just keep quiet until the new season has started. But Durie couldn’t stop himself from getting carried away.
Celtic showed title bottle as Rangers collapsed
Durie claimed Rangers had been well placed until the final five matches of the season.
That conveniently ignores what happened over the course of the campaign.
Celtic finished the season as champions once again. Rangers did not. They finished in third in the table, a full ten points behind the champions.
That is the reality Durie’s comments attempt to gloss over.
Every season there seems to be a new explanation for why Rangers are supposedly on the verge of overtaking Celtic.
The names change. The predictions change. Celtic lifting trophies rarely does.
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