In 2021, the feel-good factor was brought back to Ibrox as Glasgow Rangers finally usurped their rivals.
While it may have taken a couple of years to finally end Celtic’s dominance of Scotting football, Rangers had a clear plan and the supporters could see what they were trying to do.
This culminated in the Ibrox side winning the 2020/21 Premiership title under former boss Steven Gerrard who achieved an unbeaten season in the process to claim their first league crown in a decade, ending the Hoops’ bid for ten-in-a-row.
Gerrard’s record against the Parkhead side was impressive too. Between August 2018 and his departure just over three years later, the Gers lost only three times to their rivals.
Signings such as Joe Aribo, Ryan Kent and Connor Goldson allowed Gerrard to build a solid spine to the side, which impressed not only domestically, but also in Europe.
He was capable of making the odd poor signing, however, with several players failing to live up to the hype on their arrival at Ibrox…
Steven Gerrard's worst Rangers signings
Eros Grezda is the first name that springs to mind. The Albanian winger joined in 2018 for a fee in the region of £2m, signing a four-year deal.
The winger made just 17 appearances for the club, scoring twice before being sold in January 2020 following a spitting incident during a reserve team game.
Umar Sadiq was another disastrous signing. The striker joined on loan from AS Roma yet failed to score in four games before leaving after just a few months.
Others, such as George Edmundson, Bongani Zungu and Cedric Itten offered plenty of promise, but failed to leave a positive mark at the club.
Arguably one of his worst signings was Brandon Barker, however, as the former Manchester City academy star joined the Gers in the summer of 2019.
Brandon Barker’s Rangers statistics
Barker made one appearance for Man City during the 2015/16 season in the FA Cup, yet this was to be his only outing for the club, going on a series of loans to secure first-team football.
One was in Scotland, spending the 2017/18 campaign at Hibs, registering seven goal contributions for the Easter Road side during a promising spell.
Barker was even praised by Trent Alexander-Arnold when Liverpool U21s played Man City U21s, with the now-England star previously dubbing him his toughest opponent:
“I would say Brandon Barker, played for City. I was playing for the Under-21s, first ever time at Anfield, got beat 3-0. He scored two and got an assist.
“I came off at 60 minutes. Still to this day, he’s the opponent I think that just destroyed me, man. I’ve never had it like that before. At that point, I’m thinking, ‘This kid is going to be the best player in the world’. Because I’d never seen someone move so quickly and sharp, and effectively.”
The 2019/20 campaign saw Barker make just 13 appearances for the Light Blues, suffering from inconsistency which meant he scored only once.
It was clear he didn’t offer anything going forward, while failing to live up to the potential that saw him get the better of Trent during his spell with City U21s.
Despite this, Barker remained in Glasgow ahead of what was to be the record-breaking 2020/21 campaign, but he was the obvious weak point in the first team.
Indeed, Gerrard unleashed him just 13 times during the first half of the season, with the winger netting twice in the Premiership. In January, he ended up joining Oxford United on a loan deal until the end of the campaign.
He somehow managed to hang about at Ibrox even after Gerrard departed, making a solitary appearance under Giovanni Van Bronckhorst in the Scottish Cup.
Not long after, the Englishman was released from his contract at Ibrox, six months before it was set to expire. Overall, Barker made just 27 appearances for the Glasgow side, scoring only three goals in the process.
Yes, Gerrard signed a few blinders during his spell at the club, but as evidenced by Barker, he was prone to the odd howler or two as well, no doubt about that.
Brandon Barker's time after leaving Rangers
Shortly after he departed Rangers, Barker signed for Reading on a short-term deal, making only four appearances in the Championship for the Royals.
It was continental shores for the former City youngster that summer, joining Cypriot outfit Omonia Nicosia ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
The 28-year-old certainly looked bright during his spell in Cyprus, scoring once and grabbing an assist across 17 league matches. It may not have been at the highest level, but it was a chance for Barker to put himself back in the shop window, especially considering he was approaching his peak years.
It proved to be a false dawn, as a spell at League Two side Morecambe FC yielded just two senior appearances, which meant he was released in the summer.
Club
Games
Goals
Assists
Hibs
30
2
5
Rangers
27
3
0
Omonia Nicosia
25
2
3
NAC Breda
23
2
1
Oxford United
22
3
4
Preston
20
2
2
Rotherham
4
1
0
Reading
4
0
0
Morecambe
2
0
0
Man City
1
0
0
At the time of writing, Barker has yet to find a new club, as it looks like no one wants to take a punt on the winger, who once had the world at his feet.
As the years went on, Barker lost that magic which saw him shine for City U21s, becoming a bit part player at Ibrox before seeing his career nosedive since leaving, making just 31 appearances since January 2022.
Any hopes of performing at the highest level have clearly bypassed him. The question is, can he find another club before the end of the current campaign? Only time will tell.
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