There is a level of social media disgruntlement that exists no matter what Rangers do. That’s always going to be the way at a club the size of ours.
When we are winning, everything is wonderful. When we are losing or underachieving, then everything and everyone is terrible.
That’s life at Ibrox - and in all honesty, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
In my experience sometimes the criticism can stray too far, however. The club arranged a friendly with Copenhagen, at the manager’s request to face top opposition in preparation for the European campaign, but there was still a raft of complaints given Brian Laudrup was the guest in front of a half-full Ibrox.
“Brian's style is not something that is readily available in Scotland..."
— The Rangers Review (@RangersReview55) January 16, 2024
Walter Smith 😀 pic.twitter.com/tUawg0Mnoq
I can’t help but feel those slamming the board for inviting Laudrup would have been tearing them apart for missing an ‘open goal’ if they hadn’t. ‘One of our greatest players ever has played for both clubs and our board can’t even invite him?!’
The frustrations regarding La Manga and a pitch which caused Kieran Dowell’s injury, especially given the midfielder was starting to come onto a game, are fair. In fact, the manager clearly shared the sentiment. However, freak injuries can happen at any time. It's not as if the La Manga facilities wouldn't have been checked out ahead of time.
Listen, I won’t sit here and say this board and this squad are doing everything right. However, nor do I think think everything is terrible.
Sure, I want us to win more and be successful, but we can all agree the manager has got the best out of this squad and begun the journey to sustainable success. Clement appears a wise appointment at the time of writing having delivered a League Cup, topped the Europa League group and achieved some sort of domestic consistency.
Michael Beale was a failure. The faith placed in him and John Park last summer cost both their jobs. It’s done, it’s been corrected and Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen have been appointed to fix that, and fast.
Of course, mistakes were made in the summer but not many people were shouting that we shouldn’t back Beale before the season started. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Interestingly, those criticising the club for backing the manager in the summer are screaming for them to do the same this January.
Understandably, the real frustration has been a lack of tangible progress in the transfer window.
Clement said, speaking after the meeting with Copenhagen: “We need a few more in certain positions. I know everybody in the club who is involved in that is working day and night about that. We are in contact a lot. It has been really busy with those things, but until a signature is set by three parties, the player, us and the other team, it is not done”
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He then added that “There are some things close but it needs to be finished”
That doesn’t sound like a man frustrated or angry at the lack of movement from the club or lack of effort. January is a notoriously tricky window, after all.
If Clement is happy, a manager we all trust, shouldn’t we at least wait until he says otherwise? There seems to be a desire to two-foot the club just in case we don’t beat Hibs or St Mirren.
Rangers have work to do and we all would like to see movement in the window. I think it’s imperative. I’ll go as far as saying that this season, Rangers will live or die by what happens in the January transfer window. We all know how transformative an addition or two could be.
Perhaps it’s because I’m a middle-aged supporter who has seen this all before. The same volume of complaints, the same frustrations and the same desires to succeed.
We all want Rangers to win, we all crave that success and want the very best for our great club.
But people will make mistakes. Mistakes happen at every single football club, it doesn’t make it right and equally, it doesn't make everything rubbish. You can't burn everything down and start again every season.
I’d love an efficient club that never makes a blunder, but dare I say that some perspective is needed?
Clement is content and he doesn’t strike me as the type to suffer in silence. Let’s see what the next few weeks bring and then judge if the manager is happy as we embark on the second half of this campaign.
Let’s go to Dumbarton, Hibs, and St Mirren, getting behind the team and giving everything we can.
Everything from Everyone.
If wins don’t follow then we can all react in our usual considered manner… Who am I kidding right?!
‘La Manga was a farce, imagine bringing Laudrup out in a friendly against Danish opposition, Bisgrove is out of his depth, Bennett doesn’t have a clue, the food is terrible, Ibrox is a mess, I saw an employee with their shirt untucked, there was a spelling mistake in a press release and the Museum we have cried for for years is a total joke!!!’
That’s life at Rangers. Just sign a striker, win our upcoming games and all will be well. If only it was that simple.
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