There’s a really lazy idea that if a team isn’t winning trophies, then every player in that side is somehow a serial loser. I just don’t buy that, and you don’t need to look far in modern football to see why.
Not winning doesn’t always mean you’re a loser
Take Harry Kane as the most obvious example. Nobody with any sense is questioning his ability or mentality, yet for a big chunk of his career he was used as the poster boy for the “no trophies” chat. That never meant he was a bad player or that he didn’t have the right attitude. It just meant the teams he was in weren’t good enough overall, or came up short for a whole range of reasons.
That’s the bit that often gets missed. Football is a collective game. You can have top professionals in a side that still doesn’t get over the line. Systems, coaching, recruitment, mentality across the squad, the level of the opposition, and just plain bad luck on big days all play a part. To write off every player in that situation as some kind of loser is far too simplistic.
Rangers, trophies and judging our own
Bring that back to Rangers. Even in spells where we’ve not been lifting enough trophies, it doesn’t mean we haven’t had good players. They might not have been at the level of a Kane, fair enough, but to act as if the whole squad is hopeless because of a lack of medals is miles off it. There are always other factors at play when a club our size isn’t winning as much as it should.
That’s why I think we need to be a bit more measured when we’re judging individuals. It’s too easy to let frustration with results bleed into how we rate every single player who pulls on the shirt.
The Scottish core and the centre back debate
On top of that, there’s this other argument that pops up all the time about needing a Scottish core. Truth is, there’s no rule saying we have to have loads of Scots in the XI. But a lot of fans still feel more comfortable when there’s that home-grown element in the squad. You can understand it to an extent; it’s about identity as much as anything.
So if you’ve got a centre back who is going to a World Cup with his country, that seems a pretty sensible player to have around. That kind of experience and international recognition shouldn’t just be dismissed. For me, claiming he’s worse than a 22-year-old with about 20 senior games is a stretch at this stage.
That’s not a dig at the younger lad either. By all accounts he’s a decent, level-headed boy, and if you know his family you’ll probably know he wouldn’t be getting carried away with wild comparisons. He’d likely be as surprised as anyone at some of the claims getting thrown about.
In the end, it comes back to balance. You can rate prospects highly without talking down established players. And you can be angry at our lack of trophies without pretending every player involved is a born loser. Football just isn’t that black and white.
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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.
