Plenty of players rock up at Rangers with great numbers behind them. Big reputations, highlight reels, international call ups, all the rest of it. Then they hit Ibrox and suddenly it looks a whole lot harder. That gap between talent and mentality is where we keep tripping up.

The Championship, Europe and adapting to our league

Folk scoff at the English Championship, but it is still viewed as one of the strongest leagues in the world. You regularly see players choosing it ahead of Serie A or Ligue 1, or lads dropping out of the Bundesliga to go and play there. It might not be glamorous, but it is physical, intense and relentless.

Our league is its own beast as well. The tempo, the pitches, the pressure on Rangers and Celtic, every team raising their game against us, it all adds up. Some boys take a bit of time to adapt to that. Some never really do. That does not automatically make them bad players, it just means the environment does not suit them.

You can point to examples. You mentioned Aasgaard getting into the Norway squad and putting up crazy numbers in a short spell. Antman with top assist numbers in the Dutch league. On paper, that looks ideal recruitment. The type supporters get excited about.

When the numbers do not tell you the full story

Then you see what happens in the harsh light of Ibrox. Take Gassama. Sheffield Wednesday fans were raging and saying we had robbed them. He started on fire, looked electric, and you could see why people down south rated him so highly.

But as the weeks went on, the workrate dropped off. The spark faded and the off-the-ball stuff just was not there. At Rangers you cannot get away with that. If he does not sort that side of his game out, you can easily see him ending up somewhere else sooner rather than later. Ability on its own will only carry you so far in this club.

Barry Ferguson is right about the Rangers mentality

Barry Ferguson nailed it years ago and it still stands. Being a talented footballer means nothing at Rangers if you do not have the mentality for it. You need to handle being expected to win every week, getting stick when you are off it, and still wanting the ball when the whole stadium is groaning.

And that is the tough part from a recruitment point of view. You can scout data, watch clips and speak to coaches, but how do you properly test what a player is like when they are 1-0 down at Ibrox and the place is on edge? We keep finding out the hard way with too many signings recently that looked good elsewhere but could not match the mental side needed here.

Until we consistently sign lads who can handle that unique pressure, we will keep having the same conversation: talented players who looked great on paper, then disappear under the weight of the Rangers jersey.

Written by My star in the sky: 12 December 2025

Tags: transfers spfl