John Gilligan is confident Rangers can mount a serious challenge to Celtic for the title this season, despite already finding themselves five points adrift of their Glasgow rivals and Aberdeen, who are both unbeaten in the league.
Rangers’ dropped points so far include an opening day draw against Hearts, a side now pointless in the league, and a humbling derby defeat to Celtic.
Yet Gilligan, recently appointed as stand-in chairman following John Bennett’s decision to step down due to health issues, is adamant that the club is in a solid position, both on and off the pitch.
“Well, where we are as a club is strong financially. We’ve got a strong manager, we’ve reinvested in younger players. The player trading model has been a disappointment,” Gilligan admitted.
However, he remains optimistic about Rangers’ chances in the league, despite their current position.
“But where we are in the league is five points behind, I believe, Celtic and Aberdeen. We’re fighting hard to get back and we’re in the semi-finals of the League Cup. We are where we are and we can only get better in the sense that if we keep playing like we are in the last few weeks, then we’ll be fine.”
When asked about what short-term success might look like for the club, Gilligan was quick to dismiss the idea of aiming low:
“There is no such thing at Rangers as short-term success. You have to take one step at a time but ultimately we have got to win the league.”
Pressed further on whether Rangers could realistically catch Celtic and Aberdeen, Gilligan’s response was unequivocal:
“Yeah of course, definitely. Just the manager and the players that we’ve brought in and the fact we’re a strong team. Week to week we’re playing games that we can win and should win. Why not? You have to have that belief. If you start to doubt that and have that disbelief it starts to go through the whole place. We can’t have that.”