IF Rangers were to lose at Celtic Park on Sunday and fall 13 points behind at the top of the Premiership, the questions will inevitably follow about how much progress Steven Gerrard has made at Ibrox.

If you look at the bigger picture, there is no doubt that there has been a massive change in attitudes from the board, the manager and the players since last summer.

Qualifying for the group stages of the Europa League was a huge step forward for Rangers when you consider where they have been for the last few years. But Steven was never going to turn it around in the Premiership in just a few months.

If you look at Celtic, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock, they have all got settled squads and have a core of players that have been bedded in. Steven had to sign not just a new team, but a new squad.

It is very difficult for a manager to build a title-winning side in the space of a couple of transfer windows and the important thing for Rangers is that there are better foundations in place now than there have been under previous regimes.

The players there have so much experience of being at Rangers under their belts now and that will certainly stand them in good stead for next season. And I think if you asked the supporters, the majority of them will say they are happy with the job that Steven has done and where they see the team heading.

They won’t be happy at not winning the league, though. Missing out on one of the cups was a real disappointment for them as well and that has put a wee bit of pressure on the manager because Rangers is a club that has to be lifting silverware.

But Steven will be better for this season as well. He has now had a bit of time at Rangers, he has a better understanding of the club and of Scottish football and he will know exactly what he needs next term.

The gap to Celtic right now is too big, everyone at Rangers knows that. But Steven will have a plan to ensure his side close that next season.

He will need better players in and the board will back the manager once again in the transfer market because the squad, as it stands, isn’t good enough to win the league.

If you look back over the season, you see the silly goals that we lost and the stupid points that were dropped. The league could have looked so different going into this weekend, but Rangers only have themselves to blame for that.

It is not over until it is over, though. It would do Steven the world of good if Rangers were to get a result, of course it would.

If you look at the Ibrox game, Rangers came out with the right attitude and game plan. They were brave on the ball, aggressive, and could have won by three or four.

That is the sort of performance they need again. It is about mindset.

Celtic know if they win then people will say they have won the league, so that is their incentive. Rangers’ incentive is to try and get themselves back into it and they have to beat Celtic to do that.

If Rangers can get anything near the game at Ibrox, then they certainly have a chance to get something out of the game. If they lose, then only have second place to try and secure and they have to hold off Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.

Rangers know they can beat Celtic. They have beaten them before and beaten them really convincingly as well.

Now Steven needs another big performance from his side to show that the second Old Firm wasn’t a one-off and that Rangers are moving in the right direction.