Being Right Isn’t Supporting Rangers

There’s a habit creeping into the Rangers support that does my head in. Some folk make their mind up on a manager, a signing, even a whole squad direction, before we’ve really seen anything. Then, once they’ve said it out loud on a podcast or on social media, that’s it. Every bad touch, every draw, every wobble becomes “proof” they were right.

And the frustrating bit is it stops being about Rangers winning. It becomes about winning the argument. You can hear it in the tone. A bad result isn’t a disappointment, it’s a victory lap for the same voices that wanted it to go wrong in the first place.

Tribal support and the price players pay

We’re a tribal bunch at the best of times, but it’s got to the point where an alternative view gets treated like you’re committing a crime. Bring up what was said a few months back and you’re told to move on. Yet the same folk will cling to their first impression of a player like it’s gospel.

And honestly, we need to stop pretending the noise doesn’t matter. Booing your own players, turning up furious, creating that cloud around the place, it affects confidence. Players aren’t robots. You can see it in decision-making when the stadium is edgy and every pass feels like a test.

Dowell, game time, and the story we tell ourselves

The chat around Dowell is a good example. People talk as if he’s had endless chances, like he’s started every week and delivered nothing. Then you hear someone clock he’s only had 15 starts and they’re stunned. That tells you a lot, doesn’t it?

If you think a guy’s been on the park far more than he actually has, you’re judging him on a narrative rather than performances. It’s easy to do. Rangers is noisy, opinions move fast, and once a player’s filed under “not good enough”, it’s hard for them to get out of that drawer.

Dessers and the “made up early” verdict

The same kind of thing happened with Dessers. Some decided after a handful of games that he wasn’t the answer and that became the lens for everything after it. Miss a sitter? Case closed. Score important goals? Quietly ignored or brushed off as luck.

You don’t have to pretend every signing is perfect. You can criticise and still be fair. But if the goal is Rangers success, then surely the priority is backing the team first and letting performances, over time, shape the verdict. Not the other way round.

Written by My Point Made: 18 January 2026