Arthur's Column // 19th April 2022

THAT was the best week Rangers have had under Giovanni van Bronckhorst and I hope there is more to come.

To defeat Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final was a sensational achievement. To do it in extra-time after playing 120 minutes against Sporting Braga just three days earlier made it all the more special. It showed the incredible will-to-win and desire in the Rangers squad.

Now, we go into the final five weeks of the season with an excellent chance of silverware. It really is all to play for in three competitions. We have a great chance to win the Scottish Cup for the first time since 2009. We are also in the last four of a major European trophy.

We trail Celtic by six points in the SPFL Premiership and with five games to go the odds are against us. But we must not give up. We have to make sure we win at Parkhead next month and then hope they slip up elsewhere in the other games.

I'm delighted for the Rangers supporters to have so much to look forward to. I'm also thrilled for Giovanni. He deserves the highs of the past week. Some people have openly questioned if he is the right man to lead Rangers. For me, that was never a relevant question. He is the best man for the job and any kind of negative chat surrounding Giovanni must be dismissed and not given any credibility. I know that he is proud to be the manager of Rangers and he has been giving everything to make it a success.He has only been in the job for six months and has had just one transfer window. As time goes on, he will continue to improve things and changes will be made along the way. He is a talented coach and knows football inside out.

But the focus right now, for everyone, has to be on beating Motherwell this weekend in the League and then preparing for the game against RB Leipzig. The players have been superb and the way James Tavernier has led by example has been really pleasing. He has played the role of a true captain in recent weeks.

Others have also stepped up and things are looking very positive.

I sense that the players feel they are on the verge of an unbelievable season and they are not about to let anyone or anything stand in their way.

We are all in for a very interesting five weeks. Let's hope there are many more highs to come.