Steven Gerrard is losing the PR battle inside Ibrox.
At the end of June the former Liverpool youth coach warned his players over pre-season predictions made to fans dizzy on the success of a fourth successive Close Season Cup triumph.
The names and faces may change but the message has been consistent down the years from Joey Barton to Bruno Alves through to minions such as Jake Hastie.
While supporters are whipped up into a frenzy, Gerrard has to make a title challenge out of Andy Halliday, Ryan Jack and a dozen central midfielders and wingers. Not many have noticed but last seasons wonder boy Ryan Kent is no longer at the club.
Gerrard was initially sucked into the hype but now realises that the higher the expectations and demands the more severe the backlash when this season’s Revolution fails.
From his luxury training camp in Portugal last month he told the Daily Record:
I think players should be careful what they say. I don’t mind people that are confident and ambitious but, for me, it’s important the players understand that it’s the easy part doing interviews and saying we’ve got to do this or that.
They’ve got to go and prove it on a football pitch consistently. Last year, we weren’t consistent enough in the league and cups.
It seems that Sheyi Ojo wasn’t listening to his Anfield hero that day, this morning Record readers can drool over:
I think Rangers are the best team in the league. It’s just about proving that we’re the best team and doing really well this season. The gaffer has told us just to focus on ourselves. The difference last season was nine points which proved we’re pretty close to Celtic.
It’s just about concentrating on us and then we’ll be able to make up those fine margins. I know we haven’t played Celtic yet and the league hasn’t started but for me coming here, I feel like Rangers are the best team. It’s one of the reasons I signed here. I want to be part of a winning team and I think Rangers this season can do that.
Gerrard is also facing a constant battle on the transfer front with a bill for ‘many millions of pounds’ expected any day for Sports Direct.
That bombshell news was embargoed for 12 hours before the fightback from inside Ibrox was launched with a cocktail of squirrels and moonbeams.
An £8m offer from James Tavernier has turned out to be as genuine as the bids from Crystal Palace, Eintract Frankfurt and AC Milan for Alfredo Morelos.
The launch of a new strip, quickly sold out due to stock issues and plans to increase the capacity of Ibrox alongside a bizarre diversity programme are all going on with Gerrard knowing that he is in a losing battle, unable to compete with the flood of good news stories which are in complete contrast to his own working conditions.