The knee-jerk line is always the same: Rangers need to create more for the strikers. And aye, there’s truth in it. But when you actually look at the shooting spread across the squad, the bigger issue might be where our attempts are coming from, and how clinical certain areas of the team are.
Plenty of shots, but the balance is off
By your figures, Rangers sit second in the league for shots taken and first for shots on target overall. That should scream “chance creation is fine”, at least on the surface. The snag is that our forwards aren’t the main ones pulling the trigger.
Across the midfield and wide areas (six players), there are 169 shots but only 57 on target. That’s 33.7% hitting the target, and 11 goals coming from 56.5% of the team’s shots. It’s not disastrous, but it does hint at a recurring pattern: we work the ball into good areas, then end up with a lower-quality effort from 20 yards rather than a proper chance in the box.
Midfield needs a sharper edge
The forwards (three players) are sitting at 62 shots and 27 on target, which is 43.5% on target. That’s actually the best accuracy of the three groups you’ve listed, but it only translates to six goals, or 21% of the total. So the question becomes: are they getting enough of the right kind of shots, or are they living off scraps and half-chances?
Truth is, both things can be true at once. We can be a team that shoots a lot, and still not feed the strikers in the areas you’d want. If the midfielder or wide man takes the responsibility too often, it can look “positive”, but it’s not always efficient.
Defenders chipping in is a plus, not the plan
The defensive unit (five players) having 68 shots, 28 on target (41.2%), and 11 goals is genuinely eye-catching. It suggests set pieces are doing something for us, and that’s never to be sniffed at in Scotland where tight games are decided by small moments.
But it’s also a reminder you can’t rely on defenders to carry a scoring share long term. It should be the platform, not the headline. If anything, it underlines the point: we’re getting output from places you wouldn’t necessarily expect, while the midfield’s shot volume isn’t converting often enough, and the forwards’ involvement still feels a bit too limited.
So aye, create more for the strikers if you can. But just as important is making the shots we already take better ones, and getting more of them falling to the right shirts at the right time.
What it looks like on the pitch
When a side has loads of attempts coming from midfield and wide areas, it often points to two familiar themes: teams sitting off Rangers and clogging the middle, and Rangers settling for efforts from range when the final pass isn’t quite there. The fix isn’t only “shoot less” or “cross more”. It’s sharper movement between the lines, quicker combinations around the box, and more bodies arriving in the area so the striker isn’t isolated.
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.
