OPINION
The last six years have been something of a roller coaster for the board and the fans at Rangers, but it appears they are finally back on track to challenge at the top of Scottish football – where fierce rivals Celtic have reigned in their absence – under Steven Gerrard.
After what can only be described as a calamitous campaign under Pedro Caixinha and then Graeme Murty, where the Gers perhaps took one step forward and three steps back to catching the Hoops, the former Liverpool legend has brought a confidence and belief lacking for quite some time.
However, could the Light Blues have been on the tails of Brendan Rodgers and his men sooner than this?
Well, things appear like they could have been much different back in 2015, when, following the managerial departures of Ally McCoist, six months previous, Kenny McDowall and finally Stuart McCall, Mark Warburton was chosen to take charge for what was a positive start but disappointing finish to his time at Ibrox.
Now, speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (18/09), former Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City boss Carlos Carvalhal revealed he could have taken the Ibrox hotseat after confirming talks had taken place, but that the Owls swooped quickest.
He said: “I was in London speaking to the people from Rangers and I was talking to Sheffield Wednesday.
“It was a question of time. Sheffield Wednesday came more fast at that moment. I was very happy and excited to talk with the people from Rangers at that moment.”
Now, Warburton was a fine manager but Carvalhal would have been the much better appointment at the time, bringing his experience from across some of Europe’s top leagues to make a serious splash in Scotland.
His record in the Premier League with Swansea makes him a flop there but the Scottish top flight is a different kettle of fish entirely, and considering his impressive record in the Championship, where he took Wednesday to the play offs in two successive seasons, he could have had Rangers flying a lot higher than where they found themselves during the last campaign.
It might have been a gamble at the time but it would have been a gamble worth taking, and the Light Blues could well have been reigniting their battle with Celtic by now instead of still playing catch up.