Envision, if you will, a tempestuous Scottish afternoon in 2012, the birth cry of a newborn football club is heard amidst the gales - let's welcome Rangers to life. Their humble abode, the toweringly bland monument to mediocrity that is Ibrox Stadium.
According to Transfermarkt, the Rangers' squad apparently has something that resembles valuable talent, with a total market value hovering around the £101m mark. Perhaps optimism blinds the accountants.
Now, this fledgeling team is composed of a medley of 28 bodies, presumably each blessed with noteworthy football prowess. An average age of 24 suggests they may have a few years of running in the rain for our amusement ahead of them yet.
Indeed, this local diversion has rolled its collective sleeves up and dived into the harsh waters of competition - a total of 5 this season if we're counting. Of course, the Premiership, which sees them nestling comfortably into 2nd place. They managed to clamber their way to the semi-finals of the League Cup, and the Quarter-Finals of the Scottish Cup - efforts not to be sneered at, some might misguidedly assert.
Meandering through the Champions League qualifiers, they ended up in the dubious honour of the Play-Offs, and have managed to wind up in the Europa League's league phase. Seems like the faint whisper of ambition remains alive in their quaint arena. We'll see if that manages to dull the inevitable sting of reality's slap as their tale unfolds, however.
