When you strip the emotion out of it and look at the numbers, the picture around our much-debated full-back suddenly looks a bit different. It’s not that he’s flawless, but the way we talk about him probably isn’t all that fair either.

Risky Passes, Not Just Wrong Passes

I checked a couple of the stats sites and they’re all pretty consistent on his passing. Around 18 out of 100 balls don’t find their man, which sounds a lot when you just hear the figure. But that also means 82 out of 100 do reach the target, and that side of it tends to get ignored when frustration kicks in.

What those numbers don’t shout about is the type of passes he’s trying. A lot of them are progressive or key passes, the kind that try to break a line or put someone into space rather than just rolling it five yards sideways. When you’re constantly attempting the braver ball, the risk goes up. Some won’t come off. That’s just the trade-off.

From the stands or on the telly, it’s very easy to remember the one that goes astray and sparks a groan. You don’t always log the five or six that were tidy, sharp and moved us up the park. Our brains just don’t work that way during a game, especially when nerves are jangling.

Blame, Frustration and a Familiar Face

There’s also the bigger picture. We’re all annoyed about recent results and the lack of proper success. He’s been here through a lot of that, so he becomes a familiar face to hang the anger on. It’s almost subconscious. You look around for someone to blame and you land on the player you know best and have seen the longest.

I’ve said before, he might not be the best full-back we could possibly have, and nobody is pretending he is world class. But he has been a good servant to the club. He has played through different managers, different systems and all sorts of pressure. Until we actually bring in someone clearly better, constantly hammering him probably doesn’t help anyone, least of all Rangers.

When The Eyes Lie To You

This is where I always wrestle with what my own eyes are telling me. We all like to think we can spot who is good and who isn’t, but the truth is our eyes often show us what we’re already expecting to see. If you’ve decided a player is poor on the ball, every misplaced pass becomes another bit of proof, and every good one just fades into the background.

That doesn’t mean the stats are perfect or that you should ignore what you’re seeing completely. It just means there’s probably a middle ground. The numbers say he hits most of his passes and a fair chunk of them are on the brave side. Our emotions say he’s a problem. Somewhere in between lies the reality, and until someone better walks through the door, he deserves at least a bit more backing than he’s getting.

Written by Angus1812 — 6 December 2025