There’s a lazy little line of attack doing the rounds: if the manager didn’t personally go and watch a player, then it’s not really his signing. It’s a daft standard, and it collapses as soon as you try to apply it properly across the years.
Everyone plays a part
To be fair, recruitment is a team sport. Scouts, analysts and recruitment staff feed reports to the manager. Sometimes the manager watches live, sometimes he trusts a trusted voice. Walter Smith didn’t personally scout Carlos Cuellar; Morelos wasn’t personally scouted by Pedro. Does that mean those men weren’t part of those managers’ squads? Of course not. The simple truth is that recommendations are part of the process, that’s why clubs employ scouts.
Credit and blame — same coin
Fans are inconsistent on this. They’ll happily pin the blame on the manager when a signing flops, but suddenly the rules change when it comes to successes. That’s not how accountability works. If a player signs during a manager’s tenure then that manager is responsible for integrating them, developing them and, where necessary, admitting mistakes. If you expect managers to shoulder the blame, you have to give them the credit too.
Picking up the pieces
None of this erases the other point though. This current Rangers squad wasn’t built by Danny Rohl. He’s come into a large squad assembled by people who are no longer at the club. He’s been charged with steadying the ship, sorting the mess and making the best of what’s here. That doesn’t absolve him of responsibility, but it does explain why many players still feel like carryovers from the old regime. He deserves praise for the players he brought in during January and he should also be held to account if things go wrong. You can’t have it both ways.
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.
