Rangers stuck in déjà vu and crying out for quality

Dropped points, wasteful finishing and soft defending have Rangers fans fearing déjà vu, with the support desperate for a proper striker, creator and no-nonsense centre-half in January.

It feels like déjà vu for Rangers supporters just now. Another chance to close the gap on Hearts has slipped by for the second game in a row, and while we stumble, Celtic quietly nudge further ahead. It is a familiar and deeply frustrating pattern.

This is the kind of spell that tests patience. The table does not stand still, and when you pass up opportunities in back-to-back fixtures it very quickly starts to feel like the same old story. Fans are watching a side that flatters in moments but buckles when it matters.

A hard watch despite end-to-end football

On the surface, the match had plenty of action. It went end to end at times, with both teams trading attacks and mistakes. Yet for many Rangers fans it was still an incredibly hard watch, simply because there is no trust that this team can do the basics for 90 minutes.

There is a nervousness every time the opposition cross the halfway line. You can almost feel what is coming. The defence and midfield look one step away from switching off, losing second balls and allowing sides like Dundee United far more encouragement than they should ever be getting at Ibrox or in a Rangers fixture full stop.

When supporters talk about standards, that is what they mean. Not every game will be pretty, but you have to be solid, organised and ruthless. Right now, too often, Rangers are none of those things at the same time.

Wasteful finishing and an £8 million problem

Up the park, the story is just as grim. Rangers did create a few openings, enough to win the game, but the decision making in the final third was, at times, horrendous. Wrong pass, extra touch, poor cross, tame shot. It all adds up to give the opposition belief and the crowd that sinking feeling.

Nothing sums up the frustration quite like having to turn to an £8 million striker and feeling absolutely no confidence that he will deliver. When your big-money forward comes on and promptly passes up a free header from six yards, it is hard not to describe him as a dud in the context of what he is producing. The price tag weighs heavy every time he misses what should be a bread and butter chance for a Rangers number nine.

That lack of a reliable finisher is killing any momentum the team tries to build. You can dominate territory and carve out situations, but if nobody is putting the ball in the net regularly, every game becomes a grind.

Squad shortcomings laid bare

All of this just shines a light on the wider squad issues. The group feels unbalanced and, in key areas, short of genuine quality. There is no consistent, clinical striker. There is no midfielder who reliably creates and dictates in the final third. At centre-back, there is a real need for a commanding, no-nonsense presence who relishes defending and organises those around him.

That is why so many fans are already looking to the January window as a lifeline. The feeling is simple: Rangers need at least a couple of players who walk straight into the starting XI and raise the standard immediately. A proper goal scorer, a creative midfielder and a solid centre-half are not luxuries, they are necessities if this team is to stop repeating the same mistakes.

Rangers News Views aims to give supporters honest, thoughtful coverage without the usual rumour mill. What this run of games tells us is that the problems are clear enough without any drama. Unless real quality is added and existing players step up, nights like this will keep feeling horribly familiar.

Written by MrPotatoHead 4 12 2025