Standards is one of those words that gets thrown about constantly around Rangers. Sometimes it’s fair, sometimes it’s just noise. But every so often something happens that brings it back into sharp focus, and you end up thinking: aye, this is actually what we mean by it.
One point raised by fans recently is the clip doing the rounds showing Nico Raskin coming back out the tunnel and, in a flash of frustration, launching a water bottle. I’m not interested in turning it into a witch-hunt. Footballers are human, the emotions are boiling, and we’ve all reacted badly to something at one time or another.
Captain material means keeping the head
That said, the reason it sticks is because Raskin gets talked about as captain material. And that’s not just about being tidy on the ball or showing for it when the game is scrappy. It’s about the moments when it’s going against you and you’ve still got to look like the calmest man in the building.
When you’re wearing a Rangers badge, everything is magnified. A daft reaction from a Rangers player becomes a talking point. Not because folk are desperate to pile in, but because this club is meant to set its own bar. If we want leadership on the park, it can’t just appear when we’re cruising.
Coin throwing: the only language clubs understand
The bigger issue, though, is the stuff coming from the stands. Coin throwing and similar nonsense has been around Scottish football far too long. We all know it, and we all know the pattern: condemnation, a few statements, and then the same thing happens again down the line.
Truth is, nothing really changes until there’s a consequence that actually bites. If clubs were held properly responsible for what happens inside their stadium, you’d see sharper action overnight. Close a stand for repeat offences and you’d suddenly get serious stewarding, real cooperation with police, and proper use of CCTV rather than it being mentioned only when it suits.
And it’s important to say it: Rangers aren’t immune. We’ve had our own moments that embarrass the support. If we’re going to demand higher standards elsewhere, we’ve got to be honest about our own house too.
Accountability is the common thread
It all comes back to the same thing. Players being held to leadership standards. Clubs being held to crowd-control standards. If everyone knows the rules but nobody feels the sting when they’re broken, then the cycle just continues.
Rangers should be better than that. So should the rest of the game here.
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