STEVEN GERRARD knew when he came in last summer that he had to close the gap quickly and get that mental edge over Celtic.

That dynamic has certainly moved a bit in Rangers’ favour.

Winning two home games against them is massive for the mentality, but you also look at how well they played at Parkhead when they were narrowly beaten. If Steven gets the backing from the board, it can only be positive for Rangers going forward and the supporters will be eager to see what business is done now to take the team on again.

Rangers obviously haven’t won the league this season but they have ticked a number of boxes along the way and that all adds up and bodes well for next term.

There has been a mentality change at Ibrox. They weren’t able to beat Celtic, they weren’t able to put a run together. Both of those things are no longer the case now and the players will realise that they are on the right track and there is no reason why they can’t keep getting better.

I really see Rangers as a team on the up now and the numbers in terms of points, goals scored, goals conceded and, most importantly, the difference to Celtic, show that.

If you are a Rangers fan, you have got to be excited going into the summer and then pre-season.

Over the last couple of seasons, the fans went into the Old Firm games knowing that Celtic would probably win them. And they have taken a few sore ones along the way.

But now the players believe they can beat Celtic, and the supporters know that Rangers can beat Celtic. That is an important step that Steven has made and that comes from having guys like Allan McGregor, Connor Goldson and Scott Arfield in the dressing room.

The win on Sunday was obviously great for the supporters and they will still be feeling upbeat this morning, but it is good from the players’ perspective as well and it will give them confidence knowing that they can beat their biggest rivals.

You do take that onto next season. There will be more new faces coming in, whether that is loans or buys, and the management will strengthen again in the summer.

If Rangers keep going the way they are going, they will certainly be title contenders next season and the recruitment is crucial now.

Under Mark Allen and Steven, I think that has been good overall and progress has certainly been made in the two transfer windows.

If they get the next two windows right and keep making the improvements required, I don’t see why they shouldn’t be considered serious title contenders.

It was a good game of football on Sunday. Celtic had their possession but didn’t really do anything with it and they looked like a team who weren’t at it because the league was won. Their players are better than what they showed, but credit has to go to Rangers for the way they pressed them and the mentality they showed. There wasn’t one player that let the team down on the day.

It is something to take forward into the last game of the season, which will certainly be a tough one down at Kilmarnock. A win there would be seven-in-a-row and that springs you into pre-season as you try to get off to a flyer next term.

Rangers will be desperate to round the season off with a win but it certainly won’t be easy playing a Killie side going for a European spot.

Steven will want to end the season on a high. The fans are right behind him and the team so it would be great to give them a send-off going into the summer.