Gersnet Editorial Patience is a virtue

[Frankie 8,148]

Six matches played. Six defeats, 22 goals conceded and just two scored. It's safe to say our CL Group Stage stats don't make for good reading as Rangers exit Europe for season 2022/23 in a campaign that, so far at least, just hasn't got going at all in Europe or domestically.  Just what has gone wrong?

 

Rewind back to the start of the season and the outlook was much brighter. Yes, we'd lost important players such as Bassey and Aribo to big money moves but we had strengthened the squad as well.  Meanwhile, we still had players such as Morelos, Roofe, Jack and Helander to return from long term injuries so - aside from perhaps one or two positions - most fans were fairly comfortable with the status of the squad.

 

Unfortunately, since then things have turned rather sour.  Player after player has succumbed to injury leaving us down to the bare bones in midfield and defence in particular whilst key performers - people we've relied on in recent years - simply haven't turned up for long periods of many matches.  Team selection has been inconsistent, our tactics changed regularly to cope and subsequent results are as erratic as the manager's comments in press conferences. 

 

Off the field, the club is equally unimpressive.  Communication is conceded to be a problem but, aside from one or two brief and less than encouraging interviews, fans are offered mixed messages at best.  We're asked to continually fork out top dollar ticket and merchandising prices before then being told there's no money to properly invest in the side.  Rangers are apparently about to report recording breaking turnover but instead of that money being put into the team on the park, other projects such as Edmiston House are prioritised.  Perhaps more worryingly as more issues are identified with the squad, a variety of player recruitment staff have left with a lack of clarity as to their replacement.

 

At this point I think it's fair to say I don't envy the Rangers board.  As much as we've historically been the dominant team in Scotland, circumstances over the last twenty years have undoubtedly affected that position.  David Murray, Craig Whyte, Charles Green and others all contributed to weaken our club substantially this millennium.  A lack of foresight and planning coupled with greed and ego seen Rangers drop into the lower leagues and, as much as many fans will rightfully tire of that being used as a crutch as we approach 2023, the affect cannot be denied as we attend matches now.  Even with the huge amounts of turnover we'll report over the next few weeks – these monies only go so far and cannot be spent all at once.

 

The 'modern-day' Ibrox Stadium is now the better part of 50 years old.  That alone is startling enough when you take a breath but a lack of investment in the venue under various regimes offers a maintenance bill that will be eye-watering.  Roof repairs, general improvements and ongoing work to develop various areas such as hospitality and disabled facilities have and will continue to cost millions on an annual basis.  Some will ask why these were put ahead of players on the park, well, whilst any payback period of the Blue Sky Lounge or Edmiston House may be lengthy, we cannot rely on European football alone for our income.

 

Supporters also need to appreciate that, before this year’s financial reports, the club was loss making with directors making up any short fall via the purchase of shares. That just isn’t tenable longer term and these people have to be paid back at some point.  As such whilst (erroneous) headline figures of £30m+ of profit appear exciting, it doesn’t automatically follow we’re spending all of that on players.  We still spent £10m in the summer which is a large amount comparatively speaking and we need to budget for more than one season.

 

Unfortunately, it’s where we’ve spent that money that is more of an issue.  Was Rabbi Matando any better than Fashion Sakala?  How much time did we take to evaluate John Souttar’s injuries?  Was Ridvan Yilmaz the marquee signing we needed?  Should we have kept one Leon instead of developing the other? Who is responsible for deciding not to strengthen in midfield?  All these questions, and more, are key football strategy questions that need to be answered.  From the manager, to Ross Wilson and the board, a clear explanation would perhaps help supporters understand our position and apply some rationale to any concerns.

 

Of course the AGM is coming up where some questions may be answered but such meetings aren’t always constructive.  Therefore, it’s very important that the board address our perceived shortcomings in plain speak.  Football supporters are never the most patient of ‘customers’ so it makes sense to offer clarity.  Have we focused too much on infrastructure or was the unavoidable? A plethora of injuries can be attributed to some bad luck but we knew the risks when signing certain players and/or relying too much on others.  Who is culpable for what seems a raft of player deficiencies: age profile, fitness, recruitment and contracts?  What are our plans for squad investment in January and next summer?

 

In many ways, there are merited reasons for under-performance this season. However, excuses – no matter how valid - can only mitigate so far and I think if we’re honest with ourselves many problems signal deeper issues that appear to go further than the product on the field.  Improvement and progress can be found but that will require the kind of clear leadership that seems to have been missing of late.

 

Six months ago we were in a European final but we’ve gone backwards since then.  Of course we’ve no right to success but that regression has to be accounted for and responsibility taken.  Some honest answers will help and may allow time to turn things around.  Nothing else will do and the club must avoid bland soundbites.

 

With no recognised fans group to speak of, the board may think they’re above such transparency.  Season ticket waiting lists, a huge MyGers membership and afore-mentioned record turnover may also make some directors feel over-confident when any of that could reverse very quickly if results on the park don’t improve; not just this season but beyond.  

 

In contrast, supporters must be prepared to absorb bad news as well.  If change is to be made, whether in the squad, the coaching staff or our Sporting Director, that will take more time, more money and more patience.  And there still remain no guarantees – not when there are other increasing costs for the club to meet. 

 

Lastly, it’s also fair to acknowledge the last ten years have been difficult for our fans and despite daft songs, we haven’t walked away and still back the club impressively year-to-year.  The good times have been somewhat rare but they are coming back slowly, very slowly but an inconsistency remains for now which won’t be easy nor quick to solve.  That may be tough to recognise or accept but it’s one of the few truths available to us.  It's not what you or I want to hear but patience remains a virtue. 

[Frankie 8,148]

BTW, I never want this place to be an echo chamber so if anyone fancies being a bit stronger/direct in their criticism, I'd be happy to publish a counter piece...  

[Bill 13,717]

42 minutes ago, Frankie said:

BTW, I never want this place to be an echo chamber so if anyone fancies being a bit stronger/direct in their criticism, I'd be happy to publish a counter piece...  

On the contrary, it's exactly the sort of calming tone that's needed to counter the predictable hysteria that always descends in times of trouble. It would be a mistake to gauge our piety simply by the ferocity of our criticism - this is precisely when sober and constructive reflection is needed. I hope those running the club also recognise this.

[compo 6,122]

We need to get the best of the young Scottish talent if there is such a thing these day’s if they come up to scratch play them if they are good enough age shouldn’t matter by doing that we have saleable players who cost little and could be very profitable.

All these foreign players have me thinking they are duds even before we buy them why would bigger clubs not snap them up it’s because they are not up to the job.

And it’s time to ditch the oldies get rid of them be sentimental can be costly .

And we need proper investment not soft loans so on that point I would appoint someone to sell the club lock stock and barrel in horse racing blue is a very popular colour among the Arabian mega rich owners .

 

[26th of foot 5,829]

The current situation is unacceptable and the ongoing silence emanating from the Blue Room compounds.

 

Ra Sellik  won the Premiership last season. Their automatic qualification for the Champions League group stages was facilitated by the national coefficient, largely established by Rangers efforts in the prevailing four seasons. We qualified for the group stages by playing four qualifying games, winning two, drawing and losing one apiece. I believe we have contributed 6.5 points to the coefficient this season, more than any other Scottish club?

 

I drove to last night's game and heard BBC Radio Scotland's build up, they played a full ten minutes of commentary of all goals conceded by us in this season's CL group stages, interceded by clips of GVB saying, "we will learn", "we are in development" and, "we cannot compete". Big Dick introduced and Liam McLeod screamed with satisfaction. Truly, we are chastened.

 

Currently, we hold the record for the worst performance ever in CL group stages. I am not looking for a sacrifice, I am not looking for pointless reaction that raises the whole tone of the campaign. Certainly, I am not looking for a repeat of November'69 - I stood as a 12 year old schoolboy with my Old Man in Edmiston Drive with 12,000 other Bears. We had just lost 1-3 to Gornik in the ECWC, a trophy we were favourites to win. Lubanski's goal would have won any cup buy Man City beat the unfancied Poles in the final. The Rangers Manager, Davie White was sacked that evening. I do NOT want a repeat.

 

I want the Board to come out and accept responsibility and tell us the way ahead. I want leadership.

 

Without leadership, others are allowed to seize the narrative.

[der Berliner 3,239]

This season's CL group phase cannot be any sort of "reasonable benchmark" as to where we are right now, unless you speak of European benchmarks. SG built a team that played solidly in Europe with a certain pool of player playing usually at the best of their abilities. Last season we even engineered a way to a European final, even though rather strange tactics meant that we got beaten by one of the more mediocre teams that we faced along the way, albeit an injury record that essentially lasts to this day.

 

We managed to get into the CL group phase and people may remember that I started to warn about the capabilities of the likes of Union Gilloise, who essentially walked through a EL group containing BL leaders Union Berlin, Braga, and Malmö. 

 

Once we got drawn against Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax, powerhouses in the modern game of football, the writing was on the wall. All three teams - apart from dealing on a different monetary planet than we do - are currently in form and play well. We, on contrast, still trying to find our stride even in Scotland and having the 5th and 6th choice centre-halfs and the rest injured or - beforehand - seriously out of form. Even those on the pitch barely reach their own highest standards in the here and now, Colak apart. It's a recipe for disaster and what happened was "just" a consequence of that.

 

Now, people ask for leadership and Gio, who inherited SG's squad and brought in six players, of whom Colak, Tillman, Davies, Ridvan* and Lawrence are sure better than what we had or have, Matondo's jury is still out. But you do see some changes in attitude towards these new signings, since much is now put on a pair of gold-scales that was - in times of sustained wins and glory times - overlooked. Since when did we e.g. ask a winger to be the next Davie Cooper or McCann, who both had dire spells too? Yet, for years no foul word was dared to aim at Kent or Tavernier, Kamara and Co.. We need to reshuffle the pack and much like any other manager, Gio will need time and money to assemble HIS Rangers side in the way he wants to see us play.

 

We are second in the league and still in dire straits with regards to injuries to vital players, while others simply can't get any sort of a sustained high level of performance, including our stalwarts Goldson, Tavernier, and Kent. There is so little pressure on the last two that mediocre performances become the norm and are papered over by the odd assist or penalty strike. If we need something, it is leadership on the field of play, players who take the initiative and chase anyone who does not do his job properly.

 

Obviously, the bucket has also be handed to the manager, at least when it comes to the Scottish games. Tactics and team selections were and remain baffling, even though, in Europe, he didn't do much wrong, as a) we didn't have the players for such opposition, and b) those on the pitch were simply not giving it their all, for whatever reason. If anything riles me about our CL group phase it is this. When you step out there in our Blue, you have to give anything you've got. If that is not enough for better opposition, fair enough. But I saw far too little of that in quite a few chaps.

 

For the time being, I just hope we get our injured folk back ASAP and the team back to a form that we know they have. If that means that some veterans and also-rans will have to leave in January and summer, so be it. The CL money will sure set us on a solid financial footing to make the next step, even though the likes of Liverpool, Napoli, Bayern and Co. are no benchmark whatsoever for us ... in the here and now.

 

* Just remember Borna's serious dip in form at the tail end of last season.

[RANGERRAB 3,254]

I’m a great believer that if you get the football side of things right at a club then the rest becomes easier. We’ve not done that. Since 2016 promotion we’ve had 4 managers & Murty temporary twice. That tells its own story i.e. some poor appointments.

On the football side I believe we should be basically an under25 team with 2 or 3 older players at most. And always be prepared to sell on players we develop and reinvest the money in the squad to begin the process all over again. Like Ajax do. We are now starting to see this happening although our recruitment has to be significantly better than we saw last summer and previously too.

 

We are on the right road but only at the very beginning. There’s a long way to go

 

 

 

[CammyF 6,779]

When there is silence (or worse, misinformation) from the board, a vacuum is created and this vacuum is filled by speculation, hope, fear etc. As well as silence, the board do nothing to quell / squash rumours unless is a direct attack on them. 

 

There is a lack of leadership throughout our club and this must be addressed and has to begin with the board who should be setting the standards everyone at the club should be held to.

 

They also need to treat fans with respect and treat us like grown-ups. Tell us what is happening, tell us what priorities they are working to.

 

Tell us the KPis that they have set each department (pillars) and how they are performing to those on a quarterly basis. 

 

Tell us what the short/medium and long term plans are, what has been put in place to get us to achieve these plans and in what time frames. If these plans or priorities change, let us know.

 

Am I asking too much? As us fans Re are the major investors into the club, I think we deserve to be engages with and not taken for granted.

 

I understand there will be limitations to what can be shared and I understand that not many other clubs do this, but remember we claim to be more than a club and best in class. Time we stated delivering this.

Edited November 2, 2022 by CammyF

[ian1964 10,409]

 

[BlackSocksRedTops 3,473]

 

"Rewind back to the start of the season and the outlook was much brighter. Yes, we'd lost important players such as Bassey and Aribo to big money moves but we had strengthened the squad as well"

 

Did we actually strengthen in terms of quality? IMO we added more players without actually any great quality that would improve our starting XI. For example, is Matondo an improvement on Sakala? From what I've seen, he's an infererior version.