A £3million signing from Westerlo in January, Tuur Rommens has only been a Rangers player for ten months.
That’s still long enough to grasp the expectation which comes with the gig. A sufficient period of time, also, to grasp the perils of counting one’s chickens in these parts.
Asked after Saturday’s perfunctory win over St Johnstone if the current side was now demonstrating a stronger mentality than many which had gone before, the Belgian’s words of caution were advisable.
Not until any improvement had become manifest in silverware would he feel safe to suggest as much, he insisted.
Rommens wouldn’t have required any in-depth knowledge of Rangers’ recent history to appreciate that upturns in form haven’t always resulted in a return to the winner’s podium. Just a functioning pair of eyes to scan the list of sides to have claimed Scottish football’s main honours.
In the 14 seasons since the financial implosion of 2012, the Ibrox club has won each of the three domestic trophies just once.
Kevin Kelsy celebrates a goal in his side’s 4-0 demolition of St Johnstone at the weekend
Under nine permanent and five caretaker managers, there have been boundless moments of promise but, ultimately, the fanbase has witnessed more false dawns than a sleepless night.
Ahead of a significant week which will see Rangers take on Hearts at Tynecastle in the league then Aberdeen at Hampden in the League Cup, you can well understand those supporters who’ll also reserve judgment for the time being.
Witnessing sporadic periods of progress is not a new thing for them. Seeing their side sustain it across nine months and claiming the spoils would be unusual. Then and only then would it feel right to talk about a mentality shift and to consider if the landscape really has markedly changed.
Derek McInnes’ return to Gorgie on Wednesday is one of those delicious moments in Scottish football.
Five months ago, his Hearts side were threatening to rewrite the history books by becoming the first non-Old Firm team since 1985 to win the title. While the men in maroon were ultimately pipped at the post by Celtic on the final day, it was a thrilling ride.
McInnes will expect no thanks for his efforts when he stands in the visiting dug-out prior to kick-off, though. Such has always been the way of it.
Derek McInnes has overseen a transformation in morale at Ibrox and now faces a crucial week
At the same fixture in May, Danny Rohl was in situ. The result, a Hearts’ victory from a goal down, all but eliminated Rangers from the title race.
The sinking feeling the visiting fans felt that day as they made their way back to their buses and cars has been a familiar one for many a long year. It’s why so many will look before they leap this time.
Mark Warburton took Rangers up from the Championship but no further, with third place in the top flight as good as it got before he was shown the door.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst had his team well in the fight in 2022 yet was unable to convert promise into the big prize.
The Dutchman’s successor, Michael Beale, won 13 out of his first 14 games and still finished second. Philippe Clement did a lap of honour after a draw against Celtic which was ultimately useless. Rohl also had the fans dreaming of glory until that fatal defeat in Gorgie sparked four straight losses.
Aside from Steven Gerrard claiming the title unbeaten in the Covid season, it’s been the hope which has killed a generation of Rangers supporters.
While one win at Tynecastle in late October won’t guarantee a different outcome this time, it will strengthen the view that things are finally moving in the right direction.
Danny Rohl looked to be building something special until a series of defeats floored his side
On paper, the task of seeing off Aberdeen at Hampden on Saturday evening is the easier of the two and will feel infinitely more so if a triumph in Gorgie is first ticked off.
The Dons have been no great shakes under Stephen Robinson. After losing at Tannadice on Saturday, they sit ninth in the table and seem incapable of putting a run of wins and performances together.
But McInnes’ men should not take anything for granted. Once the backdrop to many storied triumphs, visits to Hampden have been far more painful than pleasurable for their supporters in recent times.
Since 2012, the Ibrox men have played there 22 times, losing 14 matches and winning just eight.
Just twice, the 2021-22 Scottish Cup final against Hearts and the 2023-24 League Cup final against Aberdeen, have victories been sealed with silverware.
Rangers have lost eight out of the past ten jousts with Celtic in Mount Florida and there have also been reverses to Aberdeen, Motherwell and Hibs. There’s a lot of mental scarring for supporters to carry this weekend.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst enjoyed some high points as Rangers boss but ultimately failed
With McInnes at the helm, the Pittodrie side were the clear outsiders at this stage of the League Cup in 2018-19. The result, a 1-0 Dons’ win courtesy of Lewis Ferguson’s header, was a typically painful episode for Gerrard in a cup competition.
Robinson has fond memories of the old place too. Last season, his St Mirren side comfortably beat Motherwell then Celtic to lift the trophy. Nothing would win over the tough audience he faces in the Granite City quite like repeating the trick with Aberdeen.
Even at this early juncture in his time at Ibrox, the importance of McInnes coming out on top against another of his old clubs could not be overstated.
Asked on the eve of this campaign if he was comfortable with the fact that he’d ultimately be judged on trophies, he replied by stating that no one at Rangers could survive for any length of time unless they brought tangible success.
Lifting the first trophy available in this campaign would put distance between himself and a dismal start to the season and go a long way to vindicating his appointment.
In many respects, those embarrassing exits at the hands of Jagiellonia and Jablonec, together with points dropped to Dundee United and Hibs, already feel a long way back.
The night McInnes’ side lost on penalties in the Czech Republic as their Conference League ambitions were ended, they were shambles.
Rangers have come a long way since a desperate Conference League play-off loss to Jablonec
The manager admitted after the match he’d no idea what style he was watching. Andy Halliday, the former Rangers midfielder, said it ‘wasn’t even football’.
You compare and contrast that to some of the play which entertained the supporters in the middle of a storm on Saturday.
A settled and largely assured defence bolstered by Nico Raskin and Dan Neil in midfield. Wingers in Min-su Kim and Badredine Bouanani going at their opponents, linking up beautifully with Ryan Naderi and Kevin Kelsy. Four goals scored, three points chalked up. Night and day to what was being served up a couple of months back, for sure.
Yet the questions inevitably remain; can this side turn promise and potential into something more lasting? Can it stand apart from the vast majority in light blue in recent times by holding its nerve in the defining moments? Because a long-suffering fanbase has been here many times before.
This week won’t provide definitive answers. But it will join some of the dots.
