King: Rangers are not even a close second... we have gone backwards

FORMER CHAIRMAN EMPHASISES SCALE OF OLD FIRM GAP

- By Andy Newport

DAVE KING has seen this movie before - a Rangers team on its knees, quivering in the shadow of a Celtic side sweeping up the trophies.

If it sounds familiar it’s because this year’s events are an almost exact rerun of the nightmare the club experienced in the summer of 2018.

With the Ibrox faithful desperate for a saviour, King knew just the man to cast.

The South Africa-based businessman was chairman at the time and opted to put his trust in an inexperienced Steven Gerrard as boss.

What followed was a three-year epic, with the Liverpool icon helping Gers turn the tables on their rivals and their quest for 10-in-a-row.

Now, seven years on, Rangers' prospective new American owners are hoping to follow a similar script.

While Davide Ancelotti is favourite to land the manager’s role, King isn't so sure the stage is set this time around for a rookie like the former Real Madrid assistant coach.

King said: "It is kind of deja vu. I really think we're so short that we're back to the discussion I had with Steven in 2018.

"I don’t know the position regarding Ancelotti, whether he's a serious candidate or not.