THIRTY YEARS AGO, the Montrose pub in Glasgow was in its prime. On the Broomielaw, close to the Daily Record - also in its prime in those halcyon days for newspapers - the Monty was a favoured haunt of the title’s journalists, particularly its sports writers.

Mine host was Jim Cullen, a close pal of Celtic legend Billy McNeill. On a typical afternoon, the Lisbon Lion captain would have lunch with the likes of Old Firm stars Murdo McLeod and Davie Cooper, comedian Andy Cameron and referee Davie Syme - the original ‘Mason in the Black’. He and Billy got on famously and swapped wonderful tales about their encounters on and off the pitch.

Lunch was not a hurried affair, thanks to the genial landlord. Big Jim kept the drink flowing. If anyone threatened to leave he would put a couple of bottles of red on the table, a cheese board and top up the espressos.

No one who lunched in the Monty ever left early - or sober.

As the booze loosened tongues, tables would be drawn together and football's stars and top writers at the time like Alec Cameron and Rodger Baillie had their say on whatever topped the sports and news agendas.

There was one emotive topic back in 1992 that always came up. Sky had purchased live football rights to the newly formed Premier League in England for £304million. It was an astronomical sum in those days and there was consensus from everyone - talk about the game becoming a truly global phenomenon was mere hype, a Rupert Murdoch fantasy, utter madness that would lead to football going bust.

Fast forward to 2022. The world still can’t get enough of football and the million-pound deals have turned into billions. The Monty tribe of opinion formers got it epically wrong.

A golden era had begun and those at the sharp end of the sport simply couldn’t see what was staring them in the face.

Rangers fans shouldn’t make the same mistake. This is their time to savour a golden era. The club is in a happy place that Bears couldn’t have imagined a few years ago.

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In 2012 the grim reaper wasn’t just outside Ibrox - he was inside, wearing a cheap suit and using the name Craig Whyte. Left unhindered, the famous stadium would have been turned into apartments and the family silver flogged to the highest bidder.

Somehow the club survived the financial implosion that had led to the team being sent to the lower leagues. But it was badly wounded and its detractors revelled in the distress of a Glasgow giant. Those desperate days are now no more than a painful memory - and good times beckon.

By the end of this year the club will have raked in more than £100million from the Europa League run, Champions League qualification and the transfers of Nathan Patterson, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey.

It’s an astonishing turnaround in a matter of months and puts Rangers on an equal footing both on and, crucially, off the park with Celtic. There is no longer a financial chasm between the Old Firm clubs.

Real progress began at Ibrox with Steven Gerrard’s appointment as manager. He brought a new level of professionalism to the football side while the board worked on finances and modernising neglected infrastructure at Ibrox and the training centre at Auchenhowie.

But his successor Giovanni van Bronckhorst has taken the team to another level. His tactical nous on the lucrative European stage, and that of his coaches and analysts, has set the club up financially for the foreseeable future.

Securing that cash was vital because the first team is only the tip of the iceberg at a massive club like Rangers. There’s also the B team plus the Women’s and Academy youth sides that require investment. And running it all needs coaching staff, sports scientists, data analysts, medics and a scouting network.

Then there are all the other departments to keep Ibrox and Auchenhowie afloat - management, marketing and PR, accounts, admin, ticketing, merchandising, hospitality, ground and maintenance, security and stewarding, Rangers TV.

It’s a mighty task, requiring hundreds of people on the payroll. The success of the team under Gio has provided the income that allows the whole machine to function smoothly - a big club must invest in every aspect of its operation not just on players.

Fans, of course, only care about the football and there’s a feast waiting for them.

Soon the Champions League anthem will envelop Ibrox as Liverpool, Ajax and Napoli line up in Govan for yet more magical European nights in front of a legendary support.

Liverpool are the big guns and will be fearsome opponents but Ajax and Napoli are of a similar level to teams like Porto, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Galatasaray, Villarreal and RB Leipzig and points can be plundered.

Rangers have a solid European pedigree and no team will relish facing them. They are a respected force on the continent - 10th in the Euro ranking points table above Barcelona, Manchester United and Juventus. This is clearly a special time for the Light Blues. The club has emerged from the misery of the last decade and is in the best of health.

Be in no doubt, Antonio Colak’s winning goal against PSV was a game changer and put things on a level playing field in Glasgow. Who knows, it might even have tipped the balance of power in Rangers’ favour for a considerable period to come.

Enjoy it because sometimes you don’t know you’re in a golden era - even when it’s staring you in the face.