Patterson has shown why he will be Rangers captain one day
After Rangers beat St Mirren 3-0 on Saturday, Gers fans were greeted by the jubilant players with just the Ibrox gate separating supporters and teammates.
Among those players was a beaming Nathan Patterson who wouldn’t have believed the events of the last few weeks if you’d gone back in time and explained what would happen to him in the near future.
In a matter of weeks, Patterson has gone from public enemy number one to Europa League hero to Scottish Premiership winner.
There are a lot of differing opinions on Patterson’s return to the Rangers side the but the overwhelming consensus is that he’s done his time and all is forgiven.
There was only one way out of the rut Patterson found himself in a few weeks ago and you have to credit the lad for the work he’s done.
Just three weeks ago, it was explained how Patterson and four other Rangers players were caught breaking COVID rules to attend a party.
A wave of criticism followed, similarly to when Jordan Jones and George Edmundson did the same thing earlier this season.
There were calls for all of the players to be sacked for their reckless actions but under all the anger, there was also sadness.
Patterson had recently signed a brand new Rangers deal and he was being touted as the next big thing by Steven Gerrard and as the next James Tavernier by some sections of the Gers fanbase.
It looked as if the youngster had blown his big chance but in reality, his big chance was yet to come.
Due to an unfortunate spate of injuries, Gerrard was left with just one natural right-back available to him.
Still wanting to keep Patterson in the dog house, Gerrard handed Leon Balogun a start at right back in the second leg of our Europa League tie against Royal Antwerp.
The Nigerian had such a bad half he was removed at the interval and Patterson was given a golden chance to redeem himself.
My word did he take it.
17 seconds into the second half he had scored and all of the anger and doubt disappeared as the youngster realised a childhood dream of scoring for Rangers at Ibrox.
Consecutive league starts followed and just two weeks later Patterson finds himself a member of the side that brought glory back to his boyhood club.
Patterson deserves all the credit in the world for going from rock bottom to sky-high in a matter of weeks.
It isn’t just the sign of a great young player but a strong hint that we have a real gem on our hands.
Patterson is the future of the club and we are staggered and ecstatic that he exorcised his demons in such an emphatic manner.
The kid is a cult hero and a league winner, the only way is up (once he serves his incoming SFA ban).
He has the makings of a Rangers captain and it is hard to imagine a Gers future without Patterson leading the way.
In other Rangers news, Adrian Durham has aimed a dig at the Gers squad.