We’re good at clinging to the one highlight, aren’t we? An assist here, a bright cameo there, and suddenly it becomes proof everything’s fine. But the truth is Rangers don’t get judged on isolated moments. We get judged on the full 90 minutes, the ugly spells, the bits where a player disappears and the team shape suffers for it.

Curtis: talent is there, but the basics still matter

I’m not denying Curtis can play. He clearly can. But if we’re being honest, he goes missing for long periods and it’s not just an “off day” thing. The bigger worry is what happens when we don’t have the ball. If you’re not tracking back and you’re not helping your full-back, you’re basically asking the team to defend with ten.

That’s where the frustration comes in. An assist is great, but it doesn’t erase the spells where you’re a passenger. I still think he could turn into a good player, but he needs time and proper coaching to iron out that side of the game. Whether that time should be at Rangers or elsewhere is the debate, but the principle is the same: ability alone isn’t enough in Scotland, never mind in Europe.

Antman’s cameo and the problem with reading too much into it

There’s also a bit of context around Antman. If it’s his first game in about three months and he’s coming on when we’re already 3-1 down, it’s hardly the perfect platform to judge anything. At that stage the match is stretched, people are taking risks, and the whole thing gets a bit ragged.

So I’m not going to batter him for it, but I’m also not going to pretend it tells us loads. If anything, it underlines the wider issue: we too often end up chasing games, and then individual performances get viewed through that chaos.

Striker depth: it’s still glaring

The striker situation is the one that keeps coming back. We can talk about patterns of play and wingers all day, but you still need someone who’ll take responsibility in the box. If Miovski isn’t shooting when the chance is there, you’re basically losing the one thing you’re meant to rely on from your number nine.

And even if Naderi has qualities, it doesn’t mean he’s automatically the answer. Rangers don’t need one punt and a prayer. We need at least one, maybe two, proper options who can score consistently and give us different ways to win games when it’s tight and nervy.

Manager talk is pointless without backing, and the league comes first

The other point that’s bang on is the idea that fancy managerial names don’t solve anything if the board won’t back the plan. You can see why some folk say Farioli would’ve ended up the same way as Gio or Beale if there’s “zero time or money”. Names don’t matter if the structure doesn’t.

And right now, whatever we think about Europe, the league has to be the priority. I don’t like saying it either because European nights matter to Rangers, but we can’t afford to slip into third. If there’s a chance to win the league, everything should be geared towards that. That’s the standard here.

Written by DJB_Ranger: 30 January 2026

Tags: tactics match-review europe