Rangers season preview: There will be no more leeway, Steven Gerrard must prove he's learned from mistakes

Steven Gerrard learned a lot last season.

He discovered all about the quirks and curiosities that are part of Scottish football, from the plastic pitches to the never-ending rows over referees.

And, if he was ever in any doubt, he quickly realised that re-establishing Rangers as a club that regularly picks up silverware wasn’t going to be easy.

Most of all, he learned a lot about himself as a manager.

Making the transition from the pitch to the dugout is a path littered with high-profile failures.

Gerrard, like many before him, appears to have all the qualities needed to make it big as a boss.

He worked under some top managers during his time as a player at Liverpool.

He still picks the brain of Rafa Benitez, and borrows players from Jurgen Klopp. Ultimately, though, his long-term future depends on bringing trophies to Ibrox.

And it’s the decisions he – and he alone – makes that will determine whether or not that happens.

At the start of last season, he predicted there would be ups and downs over the campaign.

He also admitted that, as a rookie boss, he would make mistakes.

Some saw that as a convenient get-out clause, while others viewed his prediction as being reassuringly realistic.

But mistakes he made.

Taking Kyle Lafferty for a second spell always seemed unwise, and Joe Worrall’s admission that he came on loan from Nottingham Forest to learn from his errors showed he wasn’t the type of character needed in the Rangers’ defence.

Then we had the strange case of Umar Sadiq.

Not every signing will be a success, but the loan spell of the Roma striker was an unmitigated disaster.

Gerrard called him out publicly for his lack of commitment and then, inexplicably, brought him in from the cold for the League Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.

It was a decision that backfired badly on the Rangers manager.

That he turned in desperation to Sadiq highlighted another issue – the indiscipline of Alfredo Morelos.

His suspension left the Light Blues without an established centre-forward for the game at Hampden.

Gerrard said a lot about Morelos’ disciplinary problems without ever seeming to get to the root of the issue.

Whether the penny has finally dropped with the Colombian – if he stays at Ibrox – remains to be seen.

As he ended last season, Gerrard reflected that things had improved during his time in charge.

Addressing misgivings that some fans may have, he said: “I have more confidence now, a year in, of where I sit and that we can have some good times together in the next 12 months.”

Rangers supporters see good times as being seasons where they witness major honours coming back to Ibrox.

That has to be Gerrard’s aim.

TRANSFERS

In: Jordan Jones, Greg Stewart, Steve Davis, Filip Helander, Jake Hastie, Joe Aribo, George Edmundson, Sheyi Ojo.

Out: Lee Wallace, Daniel Candeias, Ryan Hardie, Lee Hodson, Gareth McAuley, Myles Beerman, Kyle Bradley, Liam Burt, Kyle Lafferty, Scott Gray, Jay Mack

Steven Gerrard is looking for an evolution rather than a revolution in the Rangers squad.

Fringe players will continue to leave over the next month as the manager attempts to shift quantity and add quality.

The additions of Filip Helander and George Edmundson should ensure Rangers have four dependable central defenders for the battles that lie ahead.

Breaking down stubborn defences can be tricky at times, particularly when visiting team sit in at Ibrox.

That’s why Jordan Jones, Greg Stewart and Sheyi Ojo have been recruited.

Jones and Stewart have already shown their talent in the top flight, but both will have to prove they can do it consistently in the full glare that comes with playing for Rangers.

Ojo has made a few appearances for Liverpool’s first team, but getting a regular game for a team that is expected to win every week will be a new experience.

There is still business to be done and Gerrard is very keen to bring Ryan Kent back for a second loan spell from Liverpool. Failure to get the winger will be a major disappointment for him.