There’s a difference between a player being decent and a player being the answer. That’s really where I land on the left-back chat. Nobody’s saying Penrice can’t play, and nobody’s pretending he’d automatically be a disaster. It’s more about what Rangers are actually trying to build here.
The point I keep coming back to is how the best-run sides don’t stand still. Celtic, for all we hate it, have generally been ruthless about upgrading. If they think there’s better out there, they go and look for it. That’s the mentality we need to get back to at Ibrox, rather than settling for “he’ll do a job” as the long-term plan.
Squad building means prioritising
We all know Rangers can’t, and probably won’t, punt half the squad in one go. That’s not realistic. So you keep the better ones, you move on the ones that aren’t at the level, and you bring in upgrades gradually. That’s how you climb back to where we want to be.
But gradual improvement only works if the signings are actually steps forward. A placeholder signing might make sense in the short term, especially if you’ve got other fires to put out across the pitch. The danger is when placeholders become permanent because nobody wants to take the next step.
Meghoma’s fine, but fine isn’t the target
I’m not one of the folk who constantly hammers Meghoma. To be fair to him, he does a good job on the left for us. He gets through his work, he doesn’t crumble under pressure, and you can see why some people are comfortable with him.
Still, if Rangers are serious about progressing, “comfortable” can’t be the benchmark. The next left-back should add something that changes us: better decision-making in the final third, cleaner progression up the pitch, more authority defensively, and more quality when we’re camped in the opposition half trying to break a team down.
If Penrice arrives, it needs to be part of a plan
I don’t see Penrice as classes above Meghoma. That’s opinion, of course, and it doesn’t mean he couldn’t be useful. If he came in as a close-to-first-choice option who creates real competition, fine. If he came in as the back-up now, with the real first-choice target lined up for next season, that also makes sense.
What I don’t want is a situation where we talk ourselves into “he never lets us down” and call it a day. Rangers need proper upward movement in key areas. If Penrice is a stepping stone towards that, I’d accept it. I just don’t see him as the permanent solution.
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