Steven Gerrard’s time at Rangers wasn’t always linear in progress. To use a phrase he favoured, there were bumps in the road.

In many ways, Gerrard’s tenure in Glasgow played out backwards. First, he established Rangers as a European force, then he won a league title and only after his departure did the long wait for a domestic cup end.

READ MORE: Check all the Rangers transfer news & rumours before the transfer window

Of course, unique to the job description of the time was the fact that everything boiled down to one trophy and one achievement. What’s more, Gerrard was effectively starting with the benefits and drawbacks of a clean slate. Everything was geared towards the league trophy lifted in May 2021 even if only one piece of silver in three seasons tells its own story.

But, spare a brief spell at the start of 2020 when defeats visibility altered Gerrard’s mood, there was always a vision of where Rangers were going, even if they were not there yet. That extended to the club’s recruitment plan. Gerrard, working with Mark Allen and Ross Wilson, purchased players to a clear style of play that developed and improved over several seasons.

Steven Gerrard shortly before his Rangers departure (Image: Craig Williamson - SNS Group)

From 2018 to 2022, there was a core of the squad growing technically and psychologically with transfer windows gradually raising the overall level, albeit not without failure. That level peaked during an unbeaten league campaign and run to the European final in 2021 and 2022.

It has been after a 55th league title that squad building errors have continually occurred with changes to football structure, executive positions and the manager. Too many summers have been focused on trying to pivot in one direction before the next travels elsewhere.

Take for example the summer of 2020, in contrast. While Ianis Hagi and Kemar Roofe weren’t ever present in the title-winning campaign their collective contribution was. Hagi notched 15 league goals and assists which included two crucial strikes in 1-0 wins over St Johnstone and Hibs before Christmas. Roofe managed 14 goals in 24 league starts, adding necessary numbers next to Alfredo Morelos and bringing a new dimension to the front three. Leon Balogun shared the left centre-back spot with Fil Helander to great success as the side conceded just 13 goals in 38 league outings. The window of 2020 was spent adding the final touches to a squad that would create history. Hagi, Roofe and Balogun became the final pieces in a multi-window puzzle.

Rangers’ European exit during that campaign heavily influenced John Lundstram’s arrival the previous season, with a belief that more power and presence in midfield was required to break the glass ceiling. In isolation, albeit under a different manager, the Road to Seville shows that the decision was well calculated.

The point? Building and enacting a recruitment philosophy takes time. Requiring a clear strategy over a number of years. Sometimes turning down the short-term option for a long one. After all, if recruitment was easy, every club would get it right. Which is why Rangers can’t solve their current squad issues in one batting. Especially within the backdrop of the last three seasons, which have all kicked off with different men in the dugout and varying ideas influencing them. You don’t get to press the restart button in football when things don't go your way.

Philippe Clement made a splash with comments last week, stating that Rangers must sell before buying for the remainder of the window: “This is the reality of the club. I had other expectations when I came in in October, I have to say.”

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With seismic change still expected the comments were met with frustration. However, the Belgian’s remaining remarks were just as important.

“I am very motivated to build the club and help in that. It’s focusing not only on the short term but also on the long term,” he said.

“If I only looked at the short term I would only bring in experienced players who can do the job directly. Mistakes like that have been made too much in the past and at the end you don’t reach your goals. You need a different philosophy and that’s what we are all working towards. This is a massive rebuilding job, it is true.”

Depending on your cynicism levels these comments were either designed to tell supporters the truth, apply a little pressure upstairs or somewhere in between. Regardless they revealed the reality of the situation and how Rangers plan to get out of it. Short-term mistakes have run their course in recent transfer windows and can't be repeated. 

Rangers’ recruitment needed to change and in principle, it has. There was a recognition internally last year of such after Beale was handed the keys to the summer window and then out of the building in October. Rangers sought to appoint a recruitment specialist and move to a wider process, identifying Nils Koppen as an individual to explore new markets and identify younger talent.

Beale can’t only be criticised for the deals that went wrong. Dujon Sterling will make the club a lot of money down the line and remain a vital figure while at Ibrox, work to sign Jack Butland was a long-term project completed under his management, Abdallah Sima could’ve hit 30 goals if not for injury. 

But simply, last summer’s business was only going to work long-term if Beale’s time at the club did too. Come the end of the season a change in style led to many round pegs in square holes and another injury crisis, in part provoked by the vastly different playing style of Clement. There is no room for small, marginal recruitment gains to push the boundaries in a season like the last one. Where was the long-term planning when the short-term failed?

The reality is Rangers' squad will take more than one window to fully revamp. Money has been spent on the likes of Mohamed Diomande and Hamza Igamane but Clement has moved to publicly state at least two new arrivals (Igamane and Clinton Nsiala) won’t be ready to make an impact right away. Diomande, who impressed last season in a poor team, appears already to be the type of player Rangers' recruitment should resemble. 

Diomande has quickly impressed at Ibrox (Image: Rob Casey - SNS Group)

Connor Barron’s arrival from Aberdeen signified another Rangers will aim to implement moving forward - signing a standout Scottish talent each year. That’s one area the club have failed to exploit in recent years. They are also recruiting from different markets (Morocco, Colombia, Brazil, Denmark) having acquired heavily from the England previously.

Of the seven players who’ve arrived permanently under Koppen’s time at the club so far only Liam Kelly is over the age of 22. Oscar Cortes (20), Diomande (22), Barron (21), Jefte (20), Nsiala (20) and Igamane (21) all arrive at an age which fits the player-trading model long heralded. 

In any normal summer, the arrival of six players by mid-July while a major championship is on would be looked upon more favourably. But this is not a normal summer and Rangers are paying the price for previous mismanagement. They need to establish a new core of the squad while also planning for the future.

On the flip side, a strategy also needs results. Nobody needs to be reminded of the potentials and perils involved in the opening month of the campaign for all at Ibrox. Champions League qualifiers carrying an even heavier financial incentive than usual, the first Old Firm of the campaign is away at Parkhead and Hampden will play host while Ibrox works continue.

The current Rangers squad remains unbalanced. Signed by a variety of managers, under a variety of sporting structures. That’s why you had full-backs and strikers playing as wingers at the tail end of last season and attacking midfielders converted to deeper roles.

The only way out of a long-standing issue is with long-term plans, however. And this summer, for all the frustration, sees the start of another.