The whole “our striker scores 1 in 6” or “1 in 9” argument always sounds convincing, but it can be misleading if it’s not tied to the quality of the chances Rangers are actually creating. A shot is a shot on the stats sheet, but we all know they’re not equal.
A chance isn’t always a chance
This is the bit that gets lost in a lot of the online back-and-forth. If somebody lashes one from the halfway line, it technically goes down as a shot. Same if it’s a desperate effort from a tight angle with two bodies in front of you. Then compare that to a six-yard tap-in after a cutback. Three “chances” on paper, but only one of them is the kind you expect a striker to bury.
That’s why, like it or not, xG has a place in the discussion. Folk can roll their eyes at it, but it’s trying to answer the obvious question: was the chance actually any good? It’s far more useful than throwing around a blunt “1 in 8” figure and acting like it tells the whole story.
Movement, hunger, and getting into the right areas
None of that is to say Rangers’ strikers are above criticism. They’re not. Even if the service isn’t perfect, there’s still a responsibility on the forward line to work, to shift defenders, and to keep arriving in the dangerous spots when the ball goes wide.
At times we’ve looked like we’ve got bodies in the box, but not enough presence in the right channel at the right second. It’s that split-second movement that separates a tidy forward from a proper goalscorer. And in Scotland, where teams sit in against us, it matters even more.
Hard decisions and hard prices
If we’re being honest, I’d be open to moving Danilo on and replacing him with a more ruthless finisher. But this is where it stops being a pub chat fantasy. The kind of striker everyone describes, the one who sniffs out goals and turns half-chances into points, usually costs serious money.
On Chermiti, the fee has looked steep. As it stood, 8m felt far too much. But he’s been performing better lately, and if he keeps trending the right way then the conversation shifts from “rip-off” to “needs time and the right chances”. That’s the key bit. Give him better looks, and you might get better numbers.
And yes, you notice when someone like Miovski bangs in a hat-trick, even if it’s against Annan. It still underlines the point: goals are the hardest thing to buy, and the hardest thing to coach. Rangers need to get this call right.
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