Rangers are on course to return to their home stadium of Ibrox. The latest delivery of steel, crucial to the completion of the building work, has arrived on time. The club's chairman, John Bennett, has expressed his hope that the team will be back in action before the end of September, which is becoming increasingly realistic.

Deadline for return to Ibrox increasingly realistic

Last month, John Bennett informed supporters that the club's aim was to return to Ibrox after the September representative break. That date was dependent on the timely delivery of three shipments of steel that were delayed in arriving from the Far East.

The last of these shipments, which was crucial to the completion of the Copland Road stand, arrived in Glasgow on schedule. As a result, if the remaining construction work progresses smoothly, the team can look forward to returning to Ibrox later in September, something that was only a dream not long ago is now very much a reality.

Completion of the work on Copland Road stand is essential if Rangers are to be able to play home matches again. Completing this task has become a priority for the club, especially with Scottish Premiership and Premier Sports Cup matches coming up. There is a chance that Rangers will face Hibernian at Ibrox as early as the last weekend in September, which was an aspirational target set by Bennett. An additional challenge could be a match against Dundee in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup, which could also take place at Ibrox.

© Robert Pool

Challenges at start of season

The start of the season has been a challenging time for Rangers, both athletically and logistically. Due to the upgrade works at Ibrox, the team was forced to play their matches at Hampden Park, which was not without some difficulties. Belgian coach Philippe Clement appreciated the efforts of the fans, who supported the team in large numbers despite the inconvenience. Clement stressed how important it was for him and the players to show their gratitude to the fans who, despite the change of location, continued to faithfully support their club.

Rangers are looking forward to returning to Ibrox, especially after losing the support of their fans during home games in European cups. The atmosphere created by the fans at Ibrox is irreplaceable, which was particularly felt during the defeat to Dynamo Kyiv in Champions League qualifying.

© Catrionaf

Complications for Old Firm Derby

An additional challenge facing Rangers is the Old Firm Derby away match ticket dispute. Celtic have issued a statement saying that they will not be allocating tickets for the match at Celtic Park in September, due to the lack of guarantee that Celtic fans will be able to attend Ibrox in January.