Player development is all well and good, but at Rangers it only really works when we are winning regularly and heading in the right direction. The club just does not have the luxury of waiting two full seasons to see if a handful of players might eventually come good. The demands are too big, the pressure is too constant and the expectation never drops.

The Reality Of Rangers’ Timeframe

You can talk about patience and long-term models all you like, but at Ibrox the time frame is always shorter. Managers, players, recruitment teams – they are all judged quickly. That is just the size of the club. Supporters will tolerate one or two that clearly need a bit of time if the team is still winning most weeks. What they will not stand for is half a starting XI trying to find their feet while results suffer.

That is the key point. Development has to sit on top of a winning side, not replace it. If the bulk of your first team are already game ready, you can afford to carry maybe two or three that are still growing into it. Any more than that and the whole thing becomes unstable. You see it in the performances: the tempo drops, decision-making gets shaky, and the crowd gets nervous. It is not a great environment for anyone to improve in.

Balance First, Projects Second

A better-balanced team would instantly reduce the constant chat about “needing time to develop”. If seven, eight, nine of your regular starters are solid, reliable and at the level, then the others can be eased in. They will make mistakes, of course, but the core of the side can carry them through it.

That is how you build confidence. Young or developing players grow so much quicker in a winning team. Every good result gives them another little bit of belief. They feel part of something that works, instead of being thrown into a side that is still trying to figure itself out from week to week.

Get The Winning Team On The Park

For me it has to be this order: first, get a proper winning side on the park; then you can properly talk about a successful player model. The other way around just does not fit at Rangers. You cannot flood the squad with too many who are not ready and expect it to click in this kind of pressure cooker.

If the club wants to develop players and sell well, fine. Modern football almost demands it. But it has to be built off a strong, experienced core that can handle the weight of expectation every single week. Without that, you are asking too many projects to grow in the wrong conditions, and that rarely ends well at Ibrox.

Written by Rosevale — 5 December 2025