STEVEN GERRARD has targeted significant improvement in the domestic cup competitions next season as Rangers look to build on their Premiership title win and another impressive European campaign.
The champions make the trip to Livingston tonight aiming to move within 90 minutes of an unbeaten league term ahead of the visit of Aberdeen that will see them lift the Premiership silverware for the first time in a decade.
Rangers suffered early exits at the hands of St Mirren and St Johnstone in both domestic cup competitions as they missed out on another trophy success but there was further recognition in the Europa League.
After finishing top of Group D ahead of Benfica, Rangers would overcome Royal Antwerp before losing out to Slavia Prague and their Premiership glory has now earned them a crack at the Champions League next season.
Those efforts have seen Gerrard collect the William Hill Scottish Football Writers' Association Manager of the Year award and the 40-year-old is eager to improve once again as he looks ahead to his fourth campaign at Ibrox.
Gerrard said: "I think there were obviously four goals at the beginning of the season and there were many interviews or press conferences where people were trying to push me down to prioritise each and every one of those four goals that we set out to do.
"As the Rangers manager, you can never do that because you know and I know that when those games come about you are expected to win and deliver.
"I think we have done ever so well from a European point of view in terms of the co-efficient and where we now sit.
"I’m not sure of the exact numbers of where we were to where we are now, but there has certainly been a massive improvement to where we stand now in terms of Scottish football.
"I am delighted again match last years run but a little bit frustrated that we couldn’t go one more, one better and try and get to the last eight.
"That is certainly a target for next year. Obviously trying to get into the Champions League first and foremost.
"From a league point of view, it couldn’t have gone any better. It has been the perfect campaign so far.
"We have got two hurdles to try and get over and it could become even better than it is sitting here today. That is the challenge in the short-term.
"Domestically from a cup point of view, I said on record a week or ten days ago that it is something that as a group, a staff and from a personal point of view that I want to try and put right moving forward because that hasn’t been good enough.
"I don’t want to mark myself out of ten, I think that is for other people. But I have just won an award for being the best manager amongst a set of fantastic coaches so obviously I am not doing too badly.
"But I would never judge myself out of ten, I think that is for you guys. On two fronts, we have done ever so well.
"Fantastic and I couldn’t have asked for any more. I am so proud of them. Domestically in the cups and moving forward, we need to improve, that is for sure and that is all of us."
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