It already feels like everyone is pinning their hopes on January, but the truth is Danny Rohl is unlikely to get the kind of window where he can rip this Rangers squad up and start again. This one looks far more like a tidy-up job than a grand rebuild.
Limited budget, even less room to manoeuvre
When you look at the way the squad has been put together, you can almost hear the calculator groaning. Early termination of loans rarely comes cheap, and if Rangers do go down that road it is hard to imagine it not eating into what already feels like a modest budget. That immediately restricts what Rohl and Thelwell can realistically do in one go.
So the approach has to be targeted. One or two proper upgrades in key positions, rather than another scattergun list of squad fillers. You can see why the talk is more about freeing up wages and trimming the numbers than flooding the place with new faces.
What this team still badly needs
Even without spreadsheets and scouting databases, the gaps are fairly obvious from the stands. A dominant centre-back is right at the top of the list, and not just a big lad who heads it away. Someone who can actually play a bit, step into midfield and help us build attacks, while still doing the ugly stuff.
In front of that, a proper defensive midfielder would change the whole feel of the side. A player who can shield the back four, break up play and let the central midfielders get higher and express themselves, instead of constantly worrying about what is behind them. The shape instantly looks more balanced when that role is nailed.
Further up the park, every Rangers fan knows what a difference a real penalty-box predator would make. A striker who lives between the posts, makes those horrible little movements defenders hate and turns half-chances into tap-ins. The problem, as ever, is that these players are expensive and everybody wants one.
Failing that, a genuine old-fashioned winger who actually gets to the byline and whips in quality crosses would at least suit a more direct, aggressive style. Someone who gives us width on their own, so the rest of the team can tighten up centrally.
Bundesliga links and a weak league keeping the door open
Given Rohl’s background, you would not be shocked to see the bulk of any business coming from Europe, with the German market, including Bundesliga 2, an obvious hunting ground. That does not guarantee success, but it does at least offer a profile of player who is usually tactically drilled and physically prepared.
The odd thing in all of this is that, for all the frustration with our squad, the league itself is hardly flying. There is clear mess across the city, and most sides in the SPFL have shown plenty of wobbles already. That is probably the main reason many of us still think Rangers can get to January and remain in touch at the top.
But, if we are honest, that says more about the standard of the league than it does about any great belief in this current group. The opportunity is there precisely because Scottish football is in a poor state domestically. It is up to Rohl to exploit that with a sharp, realistic January window, not a fantasy one.
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