IT is said that there are lies, damned lies and statistics.

The league table always tells the truth, though, and the numbers make for pleasing reading for Steven Gerrard.

His focus has always been on one game at a time, but even he cannot resist the temptation to think of what lies ahead in the coming weeks. He admitted as much after the win over Dundee United, but the statement came with a caveat that offered another insight into his mindset and the drive and determination that has taken Rangers to the brink of the Premiership title.

There was, he stated, no harm in thinking, but he reaffirmed his position of refusing to get too carried away. The 4-1 victory against the Arabs was hugely satisfying and significant, but Gerrard’s mind was already turning to the Europa League clash with Royal Antwerp.

With no top flight fixture until he takes his side to Livingston next midweek, Gerrard has plenty of time to ponder where Rangers are and where they are heading. He can be pleased in one regard and positive in the other.

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It has been a matter of when, not if, Rangers would be crowned champions for some time, but the finishing line is now looming large. Three games and seven points are potentially all that stand between them and a league title that has been so sought-after by so many for so long.

This will be a championship celebrated like no other, but it has been won thanks to the same factors as every other. Over the course and distance, Rangers have been the best side in the country.

Shocks and upsets can occur in 90 minutes, but not across an entire league campaign and Gerrard’s side have emerged as worthy and overwhelming champions this term.

Glasgow Times: Steven Gerrard

Excuses – such as the laughable suggestions around a lack of fans at Parkhead impacting them more than others - will be offered from across the city about why Celtic have failed in their bid for ten-in-a-row.

This isn’t a title that they have lost, though. It is one that Rangers have won as they have been superior and set the standard in every area.

Their record right now speaks for itself. Unbeaten after 30 matches, Rangers are two points ahead of where Celtic were at the same stage last season when the Premiership was brought to a premature end and nine-in-a-row was delivered via an email from Hampden.

In the maelstrom of headlines and controversies that have plagued this season, it has perhaps been lost just how relentless Rangers have been. Even in victory that same scenario could unfold.

 

 

This title will mean that much to supporters and the club for a myriad of reasons that the tally which has secured it ultimately matters little. This squad will go down in history for unique reasons, but they have a chance to leave a mark in the record books as well.

Rangers cannot match the incredible feats of the Celtic Invincibles but they can equal their Premiership total of 106 points if they win their remaining eight games this season. If that proves just beyond them, then the 100 points barrier will be the next target as they look to widen the gap between themselves and Celtic as much as possible.

With a new manager set to arrive at Parkhead this summer, it would make the job that little bit more ominous if Rangers were to finish with a lead into the mid-20s in terms of points and such an ambition shouldn’t be beyond them.

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When Walter Smith clinched Rangers’ last league title a decade ago, his side did so with victory over Kilmarnock that gave them a total of 93 points. The following season, Celtic would collect the same number as they won the first of nine whilst Rangers imploded off the park.

But in the campaigns that followed, the 90-point marker was only reached twice as Celtic won the 2013/14 title with 99 and the 14/15 flag with 92. That 106 of Rodgers’ side stands out, of course.

 

 

Rangers’ current mark of 82 points would have been enough to win the 12/13 league that saw Celtic finish with 79 points from 38 games and they are on course to smash the tallies of 86, 82 and 87 that were recorded through the rest of the run to nine-in-a-row.

The side that Gerrard is set to guide to greatness cannot lay claim to being the most entertaining or the most skilful team ever to bring the title back to Ibrox. Indeed, there are better sides that have tried and failed in that very ambition.

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But that doesn’t diminish their achievement and the way in which this title has been won speaks volumes of their own qualities and character. In a season like no other, they will be remembered even more fondly than those illustrious champions in whose footsteps they follow.

When Gerrard spoke to the Press on Wednesday, a day which marked his 1,000th in charge of Rangers, he reflected on the highs and the lows of his tenure and revealed how those moments have shaped him as a manager and his players as a team to bring them to the point where they stand just a few hours of football away from the title.

When he was appointed in May 2018, Gerrard would have been aware of parts of the Rangers back story, but the time since will have given him a fuller understanding of just what the club went through and what the supporters endured.

The three years from administration to regime change were the most difficult and turbulent, while the three from the arrival of Dave King, John Gilligan and Paul Murray offered only false dawns and crushing disappointments. In the third season of Gerrard’s reign, Rangers are now poised to turn the dream into a reality.

The trophy will have the name of Rangers inscribed on it for a 55th time. The class of 2020/21 will soon write their names into Ibrox folklore.