Rangers supporters will always lean towards the signing that feels like a bit of a “project”, the one with upside, the one you can picture taking off. That’s why a young player coming in from somewhere like Tromsø is automatically going to get more intrigue than a steady SPFL pro who we’ve watched for years.
Potential is exciting, familiarity is… familiar
The reality is simple: fans get more excited by the unknown. A player you’ve barely seen arrives with a blank canvas. You can imagine the ceiling. You can talk yourself into the idea that he’s got the personality and the bravery to step into a big club and make an impact early.
Compare that with names like Findlay or Gogic. There’s nothing wrong with either player in general terms, and nobody sensible can say for sure how they’d cope at Rangers without being in the building. But if you’ve watched someone week in, week out in the SPFL and never once thought “that’s a Rangers player”, it’s natural the buzz won’t be the same.
It’s not arrogance, it’s just how fans think
Sometimes the debate turns sour and folk label it “arrogance” any time a supporter isn’t keen on signing from within Scotland. I don’t buy that. It’s more about what feels fresh and what feels like a gamble worth taking.
And let’s be honest, Rangers have always been judged on winning now, not in two years’ time. So the idea of a young lad arriving and immediately lifting the level is appealing. It’s the dream scenario: energy, legs, bravery on the ball, quick adaptation to the tempo and the expectation.
No signing comes with guarantees
That’s the other bit that gets lost. The “exciting” pick isn’t automatically the right pick, and the “safe” pick isn’t automatically good value either. Football recruitment is a messy business. Plenty of players look perfect on paper and don’t deliver.
Even when chances come, you still need an all-round game that stands up. Pressing, link play, decision-making, willingness to do the ugly stuff when Rangers are up against it. If that’s missing, the shine wears off quickly.
There will be players in the SPFL who improve Rangers. No doubt. The job is simply to identify the correct ones, regardless of whether they’re fashionable, unfamiliar, or a name we’ve all seen a hundred times. Get that bit right, and the noise around “exciting” versus “boring” takes care of itself.
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Rangers News Views offers daily Glasgow Rangers coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, SPFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
