There’s always a point with certain players where the chat stops being about ability and starts being about trust. And with Aasgaard, that’s exactly where I’m at. You can see there’s talent there, no question. But if the off-the-ball work and basic responsibility aren’t at Rangers level, then the talent doesn’t really matter.
It’s not even one moment or one daft decision. It’s a pattern. The lazy option. The little shortcuts. The choice to leave someone else to do your running, your tracking, your dirty work. And in Old Firm games, those choices get punished. There’s no hiding in those matches. Every lapse gets amplified, every half-yard becomes a chance at the other end.
Old Firm football demands accountability
When a fan says “he’d have been sent off if he’d stayed on”, that’s not just about temperament. It’s about repeated situations where you’re chasing your own mistakes. That’s the bit that worries me. If you’re constantly having to make recovery challenges because you didn’t do the first part properly, you’re playing with fire.
The standard for Rangers in those fixtures is simple: you compete, you run, you make good decisions under pressure. You don’t drift in and out, and you definitely don’t leave your team-mates exposed because you’ve had enough of tracking a run.
The off-the-ball stuff is what supporters notice
Fans can forgive a pass going astray. They can even forgive a quiet spell. What’s harder to stomach is watching a player switch off when Rangers don’t have the ball. The moment mentioned where he tries to hand over his man to Sterling on the edge of the box is exactly the kind of thing that sticks in the mind.
It’s not the mistake on its own, it’s the attitude behind it. You can picture it: Sterling ends up dealing with a situation he shouldn’t have to deal with, and you get that look that says, “Are you serious?” Those moments break team shape and they break trust.
A needless booking tells its own story
The yellow card point matters as well. A booking that comes from being a yard late because you didn’t move the ball quickly enough, then pulling a man back because you know you’ve messed up, is self-inflicted. It’s not aggressive, it’s not streetwise, it’s just avoidable.
And for me that’s the core issue: decisions that feel like they’re made for the individual in the moment, rather than for the team over 90 minutes. Rangers need players who take responsibility first time, not ones constantly trying to tidy up after their own laziness.
At Ibrox, talent is only the entry ticket. The rest is effort, concentration and accountability. If Aasgaard can’t bring that every week, then the debate isn’t even complicated.
Related Articles
About Rangers News Views
Rangers News Views offers daily Glasgow Rangers coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, SPFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
