Alex McLeish arrived at Ibrox knowing he was inheriting a lost cause. Taking over from a tired Dick Advocaat in December of 2001, the former Hibs boss could see the writing was on the wall as far as his new team’s title prospects were concerned. Big Eck tried to put a brave face on it as he insisted Rangers would fight all the way to the death.
But facing an 11 point deficit, the new Light Blues boss couldn’t kid himself as he came to the conclusion there was no way his side could rein in the lead built up by Martin O’Neill’s rampant Hoops. He was right of course and the Parkhead team would eventually end the season a massive 18 points ahead of their rivals from across the city.
Now two decades on, it likely the person picked to replace Gio van Bronckhorst will be following a similar chain of thought as they assess the current Premiership state of affairs. Today’s nine-point gap might not be as substantial as the one McLeish was met with but Rangers’ chances of bridging it look no better now than then. But through the gloom, McLeish saw opportunity in the two domestic cup competitions to win over the doubters who voiced concern about his readiness to step into the Ibrox hot-seat and to inject some much needed confidence back into his new charges.
