It’s that time of year again as the SPFL makes a return to our screens and serves up all the drama Scottish football fans could hope for. As expected, Glasgow’s usual suspects are set to lock horns for the title yet again, each vying for another championship to add to the pile in the never-ending legacy battle of Scotland’s footballing cauldron. While the customary Old Firm tussle for the title is almost always a captivating contest, last year’s battle for Scottish football supremacy was underwhelming, to say the least. Rangers were well below the standard required to challenge as the wheels rapidly fell off of Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s side. The optimism to kick-off the new campaign following an incredible European run the season prior evaporated entirely as the Ibrox faithful had to endure being unceremoniously dumped out of Europe, losing the League Cup final and coming to terms with a second-place finish in the league all as early as December 2022. Having said this, the 2023/24 campaign promises to be a more noteworthy and intriguing chapter of this storied rivalry. With former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou departing down south for Premier League football, double-treble winner Brendan Rodgers makes his return to Celtic Park, hoping to restore some of the goodwill lost from his abrupt exit in 2019. Meanwhile, back in Govan, Michael Beale has been busy in the transfer market this summer as he continues his rebuild of a Rangers side that were well below par last term. For the first time in a long time, both of Glasgow’s giants are in transition and Beale will be looking to seize control of the shifting landscape. So with something to prove this season, will the Englishman and his men redeem last year’s dismal display to mount a genuine title challenge this time round?
While the last campaign was disappointing in almost every conceivable way, it would be harsh to lay blame for any of it on Beale’s tenure thus far. The 42-year-old inherited a team lacking in confidence, motivation, and most importantly the ability to win games of football. Key players such as Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos were underwhelming at best and looked completely uninterested at their worst. A poor stretch of recruitment that summer and an unenviable injury list compounded matters further as the squad took a tumble from one of the most feared side’s in Europe to serial losers in the latter stages of Van Bronckhorst’s term. The appointment of Steven Gerrard’s former second-in-command seemed an astute one; the hope being that a return to what had worked so well the previous two seasons may settle the team down and for the most part that decision seemed to pay dividends. Since taking over in November of last year the boss’ record is 25 wins, five losses and three draws from 33 games in charge. Albeit those aren’t numbers that ‘WOW’ anyone in particular, it is still a vast improvement on the events before the arrival of the former QPR man. Furthermore, the emphatic 3-0 win over the Hoops to close out the Ibrox portion of the campaign is a sign that things are starting to gel nicely under Beale and that perhaps Celtic’s crown is starting to slip.
To add further credence to that school of thought is Beale’s growing list of transfers. Before the turmoil of last summer, the club’s recruitment had been exceptional. The ability of the board and staff to find value in players where other clubs couldn’t was second to none and a significant factor in the successful European campaigns the club has enjoyed in recent years. Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey, and Glen Kamara have all been standout performers for the club, and all three cost less than a million collectively: that is unprecedented by modern football standards. That meticulous and considered approach went missing last year and while a complete return to that trend has not yet manifested, Beale has overseen the integration of two great assets into the squad in the form of Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin. Their performances towards the backend of last season have not only impressed the fans but also compelled the board to delve deep into their pockets this summer in the hopes that Beale can find more talent to slot into his team. Cyriel Dessers, Jose Cifuentes, Danilo, and Jack Butland are just a few names to enter through the door this preseason and all have shown potential to make an impact. While some are taking more time than others to find their feet, this season more than most is shaping up to be a marathon rather than a sprint. Both Old Firm outfits have already notched their first loss of the season which serves as an early indication that the title race could be a much tighter affair than last year. While exercising patience often feels like a fool’s errand at times in Glasgow, fans might just have to give it a shot as the new additions to the squad will clearly need a bit of time to acclimatize. Even so, the change of approach is a breath of fresh air given the stagnant tact taken last campaign and one that we could look back on in May as the catalyst that led the club to the title.
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The final thing to consider is the state of the incumbent champions. While Rangers are only 2/1 to win the Premier League with Celtic big favourites at 4/11 with online bookmakers, this is not the same monster that swallowed up three more domestic honours like it was nothing. The stoic Australian has left for the glitz and glamour of Premier League football and in his place returns the much-maligned Rodgers who is yet to restore his status with the fanbase who were left feeling abandoned and forgotten when he too was lured away by the English top flight. Betrayal was the word banded around as the Northern Irishman departed the club on the cusp of one of their greatest achievements in the treble treble. That left a bitter-sweet taste and with an extremely demanding fanbase that has grown accustomed to success, should the 50-year-old start to falter, it would not take long for the pressure to build. Towards the end of last year the cracks in the seemingly impenetrable armour began to form and now that Celtic are out of the running for one domestic honour this season already, it seems only reasonable to suggest that if Beale starts strong in the league that we could have a proper title race this time.
