THE dream has not become the reality for Rangers. One goal has been missed, now another target has been set at Ibrox.

It will not result in the Premiership silverware being paraded by Mark Warburton and his players come the end of the campaign. Instead, they must now get close enough to Celtic to justify their ‘highly competitive’ ambition that was laid out in the summer.

Rangers have played just 12 league games on their return to the top flight but already find themselves 11 points adrift of Celtic in the standings.

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The fact that Warburton’s side are behind their Old Firm rivals will not come as a surprise to many, but the margin between the teams in the table is a source of concern at Ibrox.

There was a feeling amongst some supporters that the title was a realistic aim this term, while other observers had more modest expectations for the Light Blues.

“It’s difficult to say where they would be,” former Ibrox boss Walter Smith said.

“I think they’ll be disappointed with the number of draws that they’ve had at home especially. If they had won more of those it would have lifted them up a bit and put them into second position.

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“But I thought there was always going to be a settling-in period and that it wouldn’t be as easy as a number of people had maybe thought.

“The strides forward have maybe not come as quickly as they would have hoped.”

The Scottish Cup final defeat to Hibernian ensured that Warburton’s first campaign at Ibrox ended on a disappointing note in May.

But the performances of his side for much of last season ensured that confidence was high in the Light Blue ranks ahead of their first Premiership campaign in five years.

That belief has quickly evaporated, though, as points have been dropped and ground has been lost on too many occasions in recent months.

The Old Firm defeat at Parkhead has been the toughest blow to take, but damage has also been inflicted by Hamilton, Kilmarnock, Ross County, Aberdeen and St Johnstone.

Smith said: “The majority of fans are realistic as well. They take in the problems the club have got.

“In the first season back I’d have been very surprised if you got a circumstance where the team came in and put in a challenge to Celtic right away.

“Realistically I couldn’t see that happening without a higher level of investment which was always going to be difficult to achieve.”

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With the silverware already outwith their grasps, Rangers must now ensure they are best of the rest this term as Celtic get set to ease to a sixth successive top flight title.

Ibrox heroes Ally McCoist, Ian Durrant and Graeme Souness have all urged the Ibrox crowd to take a long-term view and insisted that the Premiership crown was going to be a long-shot this term.

And legendary Gers boss Smith insists Celtic have always had the upper hand before a ball was kicked as Brendan Rodgers improved the fortunes of the Parkhead squad.

“Celtic were always going to be strong favourites,” he said.

“Everything about the club is solid. They’ve got a new manager in who so far has done a terrific job. They’ve got a new look about them this season compared to last year.

“So that was going to make it even more difficult for Rangers to come up and challenge them.

“The disappointing aspect has been the few draws at home that has prevented them from getting into second. That would have been a realistic expectation for them.

“Halfway through the season when you pick up on what you’ve got to improve on, in the second half you would want them to try to get closer to Celtic. But that looks like a difficult task.”

If Rangers are to edge closer to Celtic and finish ahead of Aberdeen and Hearts this term then Warburton will have to find the answers to the problems that have plagued his side in the Premiership.

If they are to overhaul the Hoops and lift the title next season, the Englishman will have to increase the quality of his Ibrox squad in the next two transfer windows.

Warburton brought 11 players on board in the summer and has spent around £3million during his time as Light Blues boss.

But Smith knows further cash will have to be found if Rangers are to build a team capable of ending their wait for another Premiership crown.

Smith said: “That’s the difficult thing with the club overall and the circumstances they are in and trying to get out of. That’s always going to be a problem.

“There’s no doubt that the team needs investment but the previous circumstances that the new board have taken over mean it might take a bit of time to recover.

“Rangers need investment if they are to challenge Celtic – you can’t hide away from that – but it’s a difficult period to try to satisfy both the financial and the football aspects.”

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*Rangers legends Walter Smith and Ally McCoist joined Celtic hero Murdo MacLeod at Torrance Park Golf Club to officially open the Club’s new state of the art £1.5 million Clubhouse.

The completion and opening of the new Clubhouse marks an important stage in the evolution of the Course and the broader Torrance Park Mixed-Use Development.

Occupying over 375 acres, the development is located adjacent to Holytown in North Lanarkshire and features the 18 hole USPGA Championship-standard Golf Course - designed by the Internationally renowned Dave Thomas Limited.

The course is now firmly established as one of the top golfing venues in Central Scotland and the new clubhouse, allied to the range of innovative membership packages on offer, will undoubtedly increase membership numbers - which currently stand at 400.