Former Rangers player Barry Ferguson believes that if his old club were to improve their away form in the league, then a fierce title race would be on the cards.
The Gers have not won the top flight title since 2011, and even though he thinks that Steven Gerrard has done everything right since he was appointed as Ibrox boss earlier in the summer, their poor away form is letting them down.
Ferguson adds that the Light Blues need to sign one or two more players in order to be considered as “exceptional”, but said how improving their away form is integral to the club’s success.
“Steven Gerrard has one final challenge to overcome if he’s to achieve his ambition of bringing trophy success to Rangers. Rangers return with a game at Hamilton Accies next weekend – and they simply must find a cure for their away day blues,” he wrote in his Daily Record column.
“If they do – and this current squad has enough about them to find that level of consistency – a genuine title race is on the cards. Steven has ticked every box asked of him since taking over the summer.
“If I’m being picky, this current Rangers group are just one or two players short of being exceptional, but there’s no doubt they have enough about them to find a solution to their form on the road.
“Now it’s up to Steven and his players to find their mojo on the road and prove something good is really happening on Edmiston Drive.”
OPINION
Ferguson is right – Gerrard has got everything right since he arrived at the Ibrox. He could not have done any better than he has already – the fact that he has guided them to this stage of the Europa League was arguably unprecedented and the fans will always be grateful for that. However, Ferguson is spot on in saying that their away form is the one thing that is letting them down this season. As he points out, if they manage to improve away from home, then a genuine title race may just be on the cards. No team ever wins the league with poor away form, so Gerrard must ensure that his players are still competitive when not in front of their own fans. Other than that, the boss has gone far beyond the expectations of many – and if he does heed Ferguson’s advice, then the gap between them and Celtic will start to grow smaller and smaller.