Stop Judging Our Striker By His Fee

There’s a conversation we need to have as a support, and it’s not really about the striker himself. It’s about the way we cling to the fee and then use it like a weapon every time he doesn’t score. You can be unhappy Rangers spent big money and still accept the player didn’t pick the number on the cheque.

That’s the bit that gets lost. We talk as if he’s personally taken money out our pockets. He hasn’t. He’s here now, wearing the shirt, and the only sensible thing to do is try to get him firing rather than hammering him for something he can’t control.

A better game, even without a goal

From what we saw last night, there were signs of improvement. No, he didn’t score, and for a Rangers number nine that’s always the headline. But his overall game looked better. A striker can have a decent performance without putting one in the net, especially if the service isn’t exactly arriving on a plate.

Truth is, he needs chances created for him. If he’s feeding on scraps, or spending the night wrestling centre-halves with nothing coming into the box, then we’re judging him on an impossible standard. We’ve all watched Rangers sides before where the forward looks isolated, the wide areas don’t quite click, and the final ball is either late or overhit. When that happens, the striker becomes the fall guy.

He’s still learning what this role demands

It’s worth remembering this is the first team he’s been the starting number 9 for. That matters. Leading the line for Rangers isn’t like being part of a rotation elsewhere or being a promising option off the bench. It’s relentless. Every touch gets judged, every miss gets replayed in people’s heads, and you’re expected to score even when the team is stuttering.

So he has to grow into it. He needs coaching, repetition, and a bit of patience around him. Confidence is a real thing with strikers. Once the crowd turns, you can see the hesitation creep in: one extra touch, a shot snatched at, a run not made because he’s second-guessing himself.

Back him, or accept we’re writing it off

The simple question is this: are we trying to make this work, or are we ready to write the whole £8M off already? Because if it’s the second option, then fine, but we should at least be honest about it. If it’s the first, then he needs support right now, not a running commentary on the price tag every time he has a quiet spell.

And if you want someone to hold responsible for the fee, that’s for the recruitment side. Thelwell is gone now, so that part’s done. What we’ve got left is a player who needs to develop, and a team that needs to start feeding its striker properly.

Written by Angus1812: 16 December 2025