There’s a regular line you see in Rangers debates: what a player did at other clubs doesn’t matter once they walk through the door at Ibrox. Yet that is exactly how scouts and recruitment teams judge them in the first place. So how do you really assess a player without looking at their previous form?
The truth is, most of them don’t turn into bad players overnight when they come to Scotland. The jerseys don’t magically drain their ability. What really gets exposed is mentality, and to a degree, how quickly they can cope with the speed and intensity of the game up here.
The Dessers and Tav example
Cyriel Dessers is a good recent case. He took a lot of stick, sometimes every week, but he kept turning up, kept getting into the right areas and kept scoring goals. Was he the best striker we’ve ever had? No. But that attitude, the willingness to show for the ball again after a miss, is exactly the kind of mentality Rangers need.
James Tavernier is another one. Whatever people think of him at times, he turns up every single week under heavy scrutiny. He takes the penalties, the set pieces, the responsibility, and he does it knowing fine well that if anything goes wrong the noise will be huge. That in itself is a certain kind of strength that often gets overlooked when we only focus on mistakes.
Young players and the weight of the shirt
Very rarely do young players arrive already equipped for that level of pressure. You do get exceptions, like Bassey and Iga, who seemed to take to it quicker than most. But for the majority, the step up isn’t just about technique or fitness. It is about coping with playing for a club where dropping points is treated like a disaster.
That’s why constant groans at a misplaced pass or early criticism after a couple of poor games can hit these lads harder than we realise. Many of them will never have experienced a support that demands wins every single week, in every competition, before they arrive at Rangers.
Why our backing could be worth real money
This is where the support comes in. It is not about blaming the fans for every struggle. It is more about recognising that young players are trying to adapt to unique demands, and that we can actually make that process easier rather than harder.
If we help them through the rough patches instead of writing them off too early, more of them will come out the other side as proper, battle-hardened Rangers players. And when that happens, their value rises. A player who has developed the mentality to handle Ibrox, the expectations and the noise is worth far more in the market.
In the end, mentality and mental development might be the biggest things that turn signings into serious assets. The club has its part to play, the manager and staff do as well, but the support can influence it too. A little more patience, a little less fury at every mistake, and we might just see more of our players grow into the kind others pay real cash for.
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