Rangers fans have got a habit of going straight to the defence when the mood turns, and this season it’s felt like nobody’s been spared. Butland, Tav, Souttar, Djiga, Aarons, Meghoma, Fernandez… you name them, they’ve had it. Maybe Sterling and Cornelius have had it a bit easier, but even then, it never takes much for the criticism to come back round.
Are we really that bad at the back?
The phrase “worst Rangers defence in years” gets thrown about, but the figures quoted here tell a slightly different story. Rangers, Celtic and Hearts are all listed as conceding 13, which already puts us in the right conversation. That’s not perfect, but it’s not a team falling apart every week either.
Clean sheets are where it starts to look less comfortable. Rangers are shown with 6, while Celtic and Hearts are higher. That gap matters because clean sheets are what calm everybody down. You can win games 3-1 and still feel nervy. You win 2-0 and folk sleep better.
The error chat, and why it sticks
The other number that jumps out is “errors leading to shots”. Rangers are listed joint 8th there with 8, which isn’t a great look on the surface. Those moments stick in the head more than anything else because they feel avoidable. A set-piece you lose at the back post is annoying, but a slack pass or a poor decision under no pressure? That’s when Ibrox turns quickly.
But there’s a key detail in the same post: despite those errors leading to shots, Rangers are joint first for least goals conceded from errors, with 1. That suggests some combination of recovery defending, goalkeeping bailing us out, or teams simply not punishing us as often as they could. Probably a bit of all three.
Signs of a steadier platform under Danny
The split across the season is important too. Seven of the 13 conceded came in the first seven games under Martin, which tells you a lot about how quickly narratives get set. Once supporters decide a team is “soft”, every wobble becomes proof.
Under Danny, the post says we’ve had 5 clean sheets in 9 games, and only conceded two in a match twice, both against Dundee United. That’s not flawless, but it does read like a side that’s starting to build a platform again, rather than constantly firefighting.
There’s obviously room for improvement, but the direction of travel matters. If Rangers can keep cutting out the needless moments while nudging that clean sheet count up, the noise around the defence will quieten down on its own.
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