Kirk Broadfoot believes there is no reason why Rangers should not be targeting a domestic treble this season.
Philippe Clement’s side have already secured the Viaplay League Cup this term and they are in a fight for the Scottish Premiership title, despite losing the final Old Firm derby showdown of 2023 against Celtic at the turn of the year.
The Scottish Cup is also to come and Rangers will also be fighting it out in the last 16 of the Europa League when football returns after the winter break.
It will be a hectic schedule for Clement and his players, but former Ibrox defender Broadfood believes the busy fixture list is something his former side can thrive in.
Asked if the treble was a possibility, Broadfoot explained: “I don’t see why not. They’ve got one in the bag, the league is definitely there and they are obviously still in the Scottish Cup.
“Rangers as a club should be pushing for the treble. I think the new manager has come in and has had a good start to to his time at the club.
“I think they will probably strengthen again this month. I think the league race will be close this year. I can’t see either of the sides running away with it as they are evenly matched.
“The manager right now is the right man for the job. I can see Rangers fighting until the end. You see the impact he’s already mad, going his first 16 games unbeaten. That speaks for itself.
“You have to remember that he’s still to bring in his own players. The fact is he’s got a trophy in the cabinet already which is a very good start. That’s big for any team when a manager is new to a club.
“It’s good so win any trophy but the League Cup at that stage in the season gives you that winning feeling. It can galvanize the squad to push on and try to win more.
“The league is the big one, though. I think they will push Celtic all the way this year.
“I think it will be tight, but I think Rangers have the squad that will be added to and a manager who can push Celtic all the way and win it.”
Belgian Clement is a manager who Broadfoot would have loved to have played under and he has been taken aback by the instant impact he has made on the Ibrox squad following the departure of Michael Beale.
The 49-year-old has shored up Rangers defensively and improved attacking fortunes, all while having numerous injury problems and utilising a squad that he had no say in recruiting.
Broadfoot continued: “I think he’s got an aura about him. You can see that the squad respects him. You look at the game where he took Todd Cantwell off after roughly 30 minutes.
“That shows you that he’s not scared to make decisions straight away. If he feels that the players are not pulling their weight, he will drop them no matter who they are.
“He’s won the title in Belgium so you knew he knew what he’s doing before he even arrived. I like the way he works and the way he speaks.
“I think it was the same when Ange Postecoglou was up here with Celtic. You could relate to him. He speaks the truth – black it black and white is white. I think fans can relate to that. It’s what they like.”
As much as Broadfoot is hoping for domestic dominance from a Rangers point of view, he also hopes the Govan outfit can make their mark on the Europa League once again.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst famously led his side all the way to the final back in 2022 and the club are now just three rounds away from the same stage once again.
On the importance of performing in Europe, Broadfoot said: “At teams like Rangers and Celtic, you’ve got to be looking to fight on all fronts – Europe included. Rangers have got a big enough squad to cope with the demands. I think the fans also demand it.
“I’m sure the players want to be fighting on all fronts too. You never want to say ‘let’s go out of Europe so we can concentrate on the league’.
“You want to be fighting for both. I do believe they’ve got a big enough squad that they should be looking to do that. It’s already a good European run. To win that group and miss that playoff round was fantastic.”
Broadfoot was part of Walter Smith’s side who reached the Uefa Cup final back in 2008 against Zenit Saint Petersburg and asked if Rangers could go all the way again, he added: “It will be a tough ask, there’s no getting away from that. You just look at some of the teams they could face in the next round.
“It’s probably even more difficult now with the quality of teams who I are dropping out of the Champions League.
“Back in our day, we played Fiorentina in the semis and in the other was between Bayern Munich and Zenit St Petersburg, who obviously went on to win it.
“If anything, it’s got harder but you can never say never. It’s happened twice in recent times so it’s clearly possible.
“A wee bit of luck in the draw always helps. They beat Borussia Dortmund when they got to the final a couple of years ago and you would have probably have said they were the favourites to win it outright.
“They are in a habit of winning knockout ties after Christmas and it’s a good habit to be in.
“Winning games in any competition becomes a habit. I know they lost the Old Firm game, but they got back on track right away against Kilmarnock. So, they’ve got that winning mentality ingrained at the club. It can only stand them in good stead.
“I would like to see them back in a European final.”
