I’m finding it hard to put my finger on what the gaffer’s really trying to build at Rangers. Not in the vague, “give him time” sense either. More the week-to-week basics: what’s the plan, how are we meant to win games, and why do the key decisions keep looking like they’re being corrected rather than executed?
That’s the bit that’s starting to grate. The team selections, then the subs. Too often it feels like we get to half-time and the changes look like the admission of what the starting XI should’ve been in the first place. And once you notice that pattern, you can’t unsee it. You’re sitting watching thinking: if that’s the shape you trust when the pressure’s on, why aren’t we starting there?
Selections and subs that don’t match the message
Managers can tinker. Fine. Rangers have had plenty of injuries, form swings, and the constant demand to win every week. But there still needs to be a thread that runs through it all. When it’s hard to tell whether we’re pressing high or sitting off, whether we want control or chaos, it makes the whole thing feel reactive.
And that’s where the faith starts to wobble. Not because every decision is wrong, but because the decisions don’t seem to add up to one clear idea. Are we building towards something in January? Are we basically riding it out with “not my squad” excuses? Or are we meant to be judging this on results alone?
The Livingston thing and the striker worry
I caught the opening spell of the Livingston game on Radio Clyde and it sounded like mad stuff. End-to-end, frantic, great entertainment if you don’t care who wins. But it also underlined a big issue for us: I just don’t see our strikers doing what Livingston’s did in that sort of game. When it turns into a scrap, we need someone who can take a moment and punish teams.
That’s why folk keep circling back to the same uncomfortable truth: the goals aren’t coming freely enough from our forward line. It puts pressure on everything else, because suddenly every defensive wobble feels like it’s going to cost you two points rather than just a scare.
Where’s the vision, and will he get the time?
Maybe the gaffer does have a vision. Maybe it’s training-ground stuff we can’t see, and the results will eventually match it. But Rangers isn’t a club where you get unlimited time to “deliver it on a silver platter”. Supporters will back a rebuild if they can see it taking shape. The problem right now is that plenty of us are still squinting, trying to spot the outline.
And until the selections look more decisive and the front line looks more ruthless, that doubt is only going to hang around.
Related Articles
About Rangers News Views
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.
