There’s a lot Rangers supporters will debate, but one thing doesn’t really move: effort is the bare minimum. You can misplace a pass, you can get caught on the wrong side of your man, you can look a bit short of rhythm early on. What you can’t do is look like you’re coasting. Not at this club.
Effort isn’t “nice to have” at Rangers
It’s not even about being “negative” either. Most of us want to get right behind the players. We want to see a group that looks united, hungry, and prepared to run through a wall for each other. If that’s there, Ibrox is a massive advantage. The crowd forgives plenty when it can see boys putting a shift in.
That’s why the frustration kicks in when we see someone jogging back, pulling out of a 50-50, or taking the easy option when the game’s crying out for bravery. Effort and attitude are contagious, in both directions. If one or two look like they’re not at it, it drags the tempo and the standards with them.
New arrivals still have to meet the standards
There’s always this idea that you need to give players time, and to be fair, you do. They need to learn teammates, the pace of the league, what’s expected in training, even simple things like when to go long and when to play through the thirds. That’s normal.
But time to settle is not the same as time to stroll about. If you’ve just signed for Rangers, you’ve signed up for pressure and expectation on day one. That’s the job. You don’t get to turn up and treat it like a gentle bedding-in period while everyone else carries you.
Fans aren’t asking for perfection straight away. They’re asking for the basics: compete, concentrate, track runners, and show that you’re desperate to make it work here.
Criticism doesn’t mean you’ve stopped supporting
I’ll back the team, I’ll back the squad, and I want every player in that shirt to succeed. But support doesn’t equal giving out free passes. Calling out a poor performance is allowed. Saying a player’s decision-making needs to be quicker, or their passing needs to be cleaner, isn’t “turning” on them. It’s the standard we all know Rangers have to hit.
Truth is, the difference between a good Rangers side and an average one is often the small stuff: intensity, sharpness in possession, and the willingness to do the ugly work when the game’s not flowing. If we get that right, everything else gets easier.
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