It’s hard to argue with the feeling that Rangers have been stuck in a loop for years now. You can almost set your watch by it. Summer arrives, optimism gets poured on everything, and then when the football doesn’t match the promises, we’re handed the exact same list of reasons why we should just keep waiting.
The summer sales pitch wears thin fast
It usually starts with the manager. We’re told he’s done well elsewhere, that he’s the right fit, that this time it’ll be different. Then the signings come in and the language ramps up: “star”, “versatile”, “higher level”, “great pedigree”, “best in the league” type patter. And to be fair, every fan wants to believe it. That’s the whole point of pre-season. Hope sells.
But when the competitive games begin, reality doesn’t care about highlight reels or a CV. Scottish football asks specific questions: can you handle the pace, the pressure, the physical side, the expectation of winning most weeks, and the fact teams will sit in and make it messy? If the answer’s no, the “higher level” stuff doesn’t mean much.
The yearly excuse list
Then we hit the familiar stage of the script. First it’s “they need time to settle” and “they’re learning a new system”. That turns into “wait until October, it’ll click”. After that, it becomes “they don’t become bad players overnight”, which is true on the face of it, but it dodges the point. Rangers don’t need players who are merely not bad. We need players who are reliably good, in our league, in our matches, under our pressure.
And when results and performances still don’t convince, the conversation shifts again. We hear about chances created, about “green shoots”, about improvement you apparently can’t see with your own eyes. We get promises about players going to better leagues, about careers, about value, about not losing money. None of that helps when you’re watching a team that doesn’t look like it’s moved on.
Stop blaming the support
The one that really sticks in the throat is when it turns into the fans’ fault. Booing isn’t ideal, but it doesn’t come from nowhere. It comes from watching the same cycle repeat. Supporters aren’t asking for perfection, they’re asking for standards. And standards start with recruitment and decision-making, not telling the crowd they don’t understand football.
Truth is, if it’s the same story every season, then it’s not “bad luck” or “needing time”. It’s the quality of the planning, the recruitment, and the players being asked to carry the shirt. Rangers need to break the loop, not narrate it again.
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