THERE are still a couple of days to go before the second Glasgow derby/Old Firm match/ Sevco Scotland Ltd v Pacific Shelf 585 Ltd game (have I covered all of the bases there?) of the season commences at Ibrox.
Yet, new Rangers manager Michael Beale, who will take charge of a side in the world-famous fixture for the first time on Monday afternoon, holds a narrow 1-0 lead over his Celtic counterpart Ange Postecoglou before a ball has been kicked, a sectarian song sung or a refereeing conspiracy theory aired.
The Englishman only encountered the Greek-Australian on one occasion during the three-and-a-half years that he spent in Scotland previously.
However, he helped Steven Gerrard’s charges to run out 1-0 winners over Postecoglou’s men in August last term thanks to a second-half Filip Helander goal at a Borna Barisic corner.
The success that Beale, a key member of Gerrard’s backroom staff, enjoyed in the game that matters most to supporters has raised hopes down Govan way that he can flourish despite his lack of experience as a manager and the issues he is currently contending with.
There was certainly an extended period when the Ibrox club - despite only lifting one piece of silverware, the 2020/21 cinch Premiership trophy - very much had their age-old adversaries’ number in their head-to-head encounters.
The result at the start of last season extended Rangers’ unbeaten run against Celtic to seven games – a streak of form that had not been achieved since back in 2000 when Dick Advocaat’s lavishly-assembled side dominated football in this country.
So can the Londoner get them back on top on derby day? His influence on training, team selection and tactics was considerable when he was a coach. Does he, then, possess the smarts which a large number of fans felt that his predecessor, despite his accomplishments at home and abroad, lacked domestically?
Giovanni van Bronckhorst masterminded an impressive 2-1 extra-time victory in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup at Hampden last April and followed that up with a credible 1-1 draw in the league at Parkhead a fortnight later. But in the other three games which he presided over his team was very much second best. They lost 3-0, 2-1 and 4-0.
Under Van Bronckhorst, Rangers often looked disorganised, undisciplined and lacking in heart against Celtic. Under Gerrard, the opposite was frequently the case. They were focused, on the front foot, full of fight.
But that was then and this is now. Neither of the teams which will take to the field at Ibrox on Monday will bear any resemblance to those which locked horns 16 months ago. It is completely unrealistic to expect Beale to oversee a turnaround in fortunes in just his fifth match in charge given how much has changed since.
For a start, Filip Helander, Leon Balogun, Steven Davis and Joe Aribo will not be involved. Elsewhere, Glen Kamara, Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe are not the same players. They have struggled for form and fitness of late and are all striving to get back to the levels they attained in the past.
The visitors, too, are vastly-improved. Cameron Carter-Vickers has come in to defence. Greg Taylor is a consistent performer outside the centre half at left back. Reo Hatate, Aaron Mooy and Matt O’Riley have improved the midfield considerably. Up front, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Sead Haksabanovic, Jota and Daizen Maeda have arrived and made quite an impact.
Elsewhere, Josip Juranovic, who made his debut just days after signing, has flourished. Liel Abada, too, has gone from strength to strength. And Kyogo Furuhashi, who passed up a few gilt-edged chances, is far more clinical in the final third.
The Japanese forward’s strike in the 4-0 triumph over Hibernian at Easter Road in midweek took his tally for the 2022/23 campaign to 15. He is the leading marksman in the country.
Postecoglou’s team followed up that Rangers reverse with a defeat to Livingston away and a draw against Dundee United at home the following month. But since then they have not looked back. They are nine points clear at the top of the table for a reason.
His strength in depth, too, is vastly superior. He has added Yuki Kobayashi, Alistair Johnston and Tomoki Iwata to his squad this winter and now has back-up in every area of the park should injuries or suspensions arise. Beale is struggling to find one decent player to fill certain positions in his starting line-up.
There is every chance, despite the poor display in the win over Motherwell at Ibrox on Wednesday night, that Rangers will have a bit more about them on Monday than they did during their woeful capitulation at Parkhead back in September. Having the vast majority of the 50,000-strong crowd roaring them on will help no end.
But the past triumphs that Beale was involved in will count for precious little. He has much work to do in the months ahead, not just the next 90 minutes, before his side can challenge their city rivals for major honours. He requires the sort of financial backing which Gerrard, initially at least, received to achieve his long-term objectives.
