Why Steven Gerrard Might Actually Be About to End His Title Hoodoo With Rangers

There's nothing in football quite like winning a league title.

It's what you work towards all season, after all. Cups - domestic and European - are great, but when nine months of hard work in bread-and-butter league matches pay off with a trophy, there is an fulfilled, exhaustive satisfaction that nothing else can touch.

Most great players experience it at least once; you can count on one hand, in fact, the former pros who can claim to have been as good as Steven Gerrard, yet never managed to win a league.

His former Liverpool team-mate Fernando Torres might be in with a shout. Other than that, Bobby Moore? Socrates? Brexit champion Matt Le Tissier?

Up in Glasgow, however, it's really beginning to seem like for Gerrard, that may change before 2021 is out.

It hasn't been all plain-sailing for the bolshy Scouser since he decided to jump in right at the deep end of management. Few would deny that he has improved Rangers in his two-and-a-half years there, but it wasn't a year ago that the Ibrox loyal almost universally wanted him out.

Their post-Christmas capitulation which eventually saw Celtic win the league on points-per-game mirrors for fans what Gerrard would have felt in 2014, when he looked nailed on to finally captain Liverpool to the Premier League, only to fall on his face - literally - with the finish line in sight.

He didn't give up on Liverpool then, however, and he certainly hasn't given up on Rangers now. His transfer record has been patchy at times, but with former Southampton head of recruitment Ross Wilson at his side, he's landed a striker capable of scoring from the halfway line in Kemar Roofe, while he's added Leon Balogun to a defence which has conceded just three goals in 12 league games this season.

Year on year improvement has been a theme of his tenure, and we've seen that across the board this term. 'Fifty grand' Glen Kamara has stepped it up a level, James Tavernier looks back to being the defender he once was, while even Ryan Kent is performing on a consistent basis.

So far, the difference between Celtic and Rangers has always been Celtic's composure and staying power. For the past nine years, we've seen their muscle memory get them through tight games no matter what, while Rangers have lost their cool at the business end.

But there are signs across the city that Neil Lennon's bottle is beginning to crash. The Northern Irishman tends to run out of ideas around the three-year mark and it looks as if that's happening again, with erratic tactical decisions frequently costing them points.

Their lack of urgency was disturbing last weekend, while Sunday's trip to Aberdeen - the sort of game where they would normally eke out a win despite a poor performance - saw them yield even more ground to their title rivals.

For Gerrard and Rangers, then, it looks as if it could be the perfect storm. The words 'don't let this slip' will be nowhere near his mouth for the time being, but if they needed to improve their end again and hope Celtic let their levels drop, then it's so far, so good.

It's far too early, with 26 games left to play, that Rangers have it in the bag. They lead by six points, having played a game more, but if we put history aside and assess each of the Glasgow rivals on merit, then Gerrard's team are worthy favourites.

How they handle the heat that comes with that tag will come to define what could be an historic season for Rangers and their manager. And while a Scottish Premiership winners' medal won't quite cure the pain in Gerrard's gut that occurs whenever he sees the Premier League trophy, it's a monkey he must soon get off his back if he is to live up to his managerial potential.