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They say football is a game of opinions and in Ross Wilson’s case, there certainly seems to be growing disgruntlement about his performance as Rangers Sporting Director.

The 38-year-old has been no stranger to criticism during his tenure at Ibrox but is he right to defend his record since joining from Southampton in October 2019?

Transfers, contract situations and managerial appointments have been sticks to beat Wilson with of late with a real sense of ire about the role he is carrying out.

After unveiling Michael Beale as Rangers’ 18th permanent manager on Thursday, Wilson backed himself when quizzed on his own performance.

He said: “People can always make their judgements at any time. Whether it’s the scouting team, the managers, the sporting director, the chief executive, people always have an opinion on something.

“We are very proud of a lot of the work we have done here and with humility you look at some other work you have been part of and you will say ‘I wish I hadn’t done that’ or ‘I wish I had done that a bit better’.

“Certainly from my perspective I know the mandate I was given on the day I walked in the door here and I am absolutely sure I have delivered on my part of the mandate so far.

“But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things I wouldn’t look back on and say ‘I could have done that bit better, I could have done that bit better’. I am certainly proud of a lot of the work and there is still loads of work to do here and a load of work to do in the coming windows for sure.”

Wilson is well within his rights to back himself but if we assess some of the concerns being levelled at him we can understand why there are gripes.

Rangers Review: (Image: NQ)

On the issue of recruitment, there is no doubt there are question marks over some of the business that has been carried out post 55. Money has been spent but whether it has been spent wisely, for the most part, is up for debate. Wilson cannot legislate for the raft of long-term injuries that have decimated the squad but signing players with known injury records has disgruntled many.

With 10 players potentially departing the club in the summer upon the expiry of their contracts, a squad overhaul is on the cards. Again, it’s been an issue that has caused a degree of consternation but it isn’t solely Rangers that are facing a large exodus of players.

There are several British clubs in the same boat, that is not a defence of Wilson but the way football is evolving we may encounter more Connor Goldson scenarios in the future.

The two notable assets who are yet to agree extensions to their deals are Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos. Now, there is an argument as to whether the Colombian is deserving of a new contract given his output this season but should they depart for nothing the optics don’t look great not to mention the millions of pounds the club will lose out on potential transfer fees.

Wilson addressed the issue and the wider contract situation affecting a host of players. He said: “There are two key assets here who have been talked about for a long time in Kent and Morelos. There is another group of older players who I’m sure everybody understands good contract management is to have those lads on one-year contracts and review them year on year.

“And there are a couple of boys who have been injured quite a lot so again it is sensible to keep reviewing before the end of the season as well.”

What Wilson can point out is the record-breaking fees received for Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey in the previous two transfer windows but many are wondering where the next big money sale is coming from.

The much-talked-about player trading model can only work if there is a constant stream of players who are developed and sold on for profit. Assessing the current squad, Glen Kamara is the only player at this moment in time who is likely to net Rangers a windfall from the £50k they famously paid Dundee.

On managerial appointments, it is another area where the jury is most certainly out. As much as Giovanni van Bronckhorst delivered a long-awaited Scottish Cup, came within a whisker of becoming Europa League champions and qualified for the Champions League, his dismissal after a little over a year in the job is ultimately a failure on Wilson’s part.

The appointment of Michael Beale simply has to work to ease the noise around Wilson. In order for it to have the best chance of success, he has to nail recruitment in the windows ahead as well as tying down assets to avoid the risk of high-value players walking out the door without the club receiving a penny.

If Beale fails, Wilson fails.

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