Every time a few names get mentioned, the same line pops up: “not Rangers class.” End of discussion, apparently. But I keep coming back to the same question: what does Rangers class actually mean in the here and now? Not the glory days version, not the team we all grew up watching. The reality of where the club is, what the league looks like, and what we’re trying to build.
Because if we’re being honest, a lot of the “standards” chat can turn into snobbery. As if a player automatically becomes better because his name sounds foreign, or because he’s arrived from down south, or because he’s been picked up from overseas. Football does not work like that. There are bargains and bombs from every market, and there are solid players right under our nose in the SPFL who would not shrink at Ibrox.
Stop pretending the SPFL is beneath us
I’ve seen the likes of Devlin, Bowie, Shankland, Watson mentioned and it’s straight into the “no thanks” pile from some supporters. For me, that’s backwards. Would they make us worse than what we’ve been watching at times? I don’t believe so. Some are tried and tested at this level. Others might not be the finished article yet, but that’s kind of the point. Rangers should be a place where a player steps up a gear, not a place where we only take the ready-made option at a premium.
And you can see why the idea appeals. They know the league. They know the weather, the pitches, the physicality, the week-to-week grind. There’s less of that “give him six months to settle” chat. You either handle Scotland or you don’t.
The badge can lift players, but only if we pick the right ones
Nobody is saying we should sign someone purely because he plays in the SPFL. The point is we shouldn’t dismiss them purely because he does. Rangers recruitment, at its best, has always been about finding players who can cope with expectation, who can handle being on the ball constantly, and who don’t hide when the crowd gets edgy.
Walter’s sides had all sorts: some from our league, some from elsewhere, and plenty who improved once they had the standards and pressure of Rangers around them. That’s the model worth remembering, not the fantasy that only exotic signings count as ambition.
Being “realistic” isn’t lowering standards
This is where I think some folk get it twisted. Wanting sensible SPFL options isn’t about accepting mediocrity. It’s about using the market that’s right in front of us, especially when we’re crying out for players who can contribute quickly and consistently.
Call it Rangers class if you like, but to me it’s simpler: can he improve us, can he handle the shirt, and does he give the manager a better option than the drivel we’ve carried at times? If the answer’s yes, then write him off at your peril. Sometimes we really can’t see the forest for the trees.
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