It feels like a pattern more than a coincidence. Not the old ‘‘can't win the league’’ malaise, but a different problem: we go a goal or two up and the intensity drops. You can see it in body language, in hurried passes, in the ease the opposition find space. To be fair, it happens at lots of clubs, but when it happens at Rangers it costs points and patience.
The coast is real
Look at the moments people talk about — being comfortable 2-0 up at half-time against Celtic, or assuming a game is done when the opponent looks reduced. Those are the moments when application falls away. It's not always lack of ability or tactics. Sometimes players simply relax too early, convinced the job is finished. That complacency invites pressure back into the game and suddenly we are scrambling instead of controlling.
Where does it come from?
There are a few places to point a finger. Managers who don't convey the everyday need to win make a difference; preparation and urgency are contagious. Signings matter too. Players arriving from quieter environments might not be used to that constant edge. Add in squad rotation, confidence swings and the natural ebb and flow of a season, and you get lapses that look very much like a mentality problem.
What needs to change?
Truth is, this isn't solved by slogans. It's about habits. Training should mirror the intensity expected on matchday. Game management must be drilled — closing down, set-piece focus, the small details that keep teams honest. Managers and senior lads have to make it clear that a lead is never a licence to relax. We need bite at 1-0 as much as at 2-0. Fans notice it. If we demand the right standards week in, week out, players start to accept no other way.
We can argue tactics and signings until the cows come home, but the easiest, most painful truth is this: mentality shows in the basics. Until those basics become habit, we’ll keep dropping the odd daft point that leaves everyone asking the same question again.
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