What Do Rangers Need Before Window Shuts

Deadline Day Looming, What Do Rangers Need Now?

Rangers were humiliated last night. Six goals conceded in Belgium. Club Brugge playing us off the park while the away end, normally the loudest and most loyal of all, could be heard chanting “Martin get to f*ck”. When your own support turns like that, you know the belief has gone. And once that happens, it does not return, no for the Rangers manager.

The pressure on Russell Martin is now unbearable. Many never wanted him in the first place, and nights like that only confirm why. The players have been dire since the season began, the majority of performances have been abysmal, and the fans have seen this film before. Something has to change, and fast.

The transfer window is about to slam shut, and here is the truth: if Rangers do not act in these final days, this season will be gone before it even gets going. The squad is broken. It lacks direction, personality, but most of all leadership. That is what Rangers need right now. Leaders, not projects.

The Problem in Defence?: Nobody is in Charge

The back line is a disaster. The goals conceded inside against Brugge summed up the chaos we have watched all season. Balls not attacked, crosses not stopped, mistakes punished again and again. Not once did any defender take control, pull the line into shape, or even shout at those around him.

At Rangers, that is unforgivable. It’s obvious that we need a commanding centre half. Not another team’s prospect to test out for them, not another “ball-playing option”, but an organiser, a leader, someone who treats clean sheets as a matter of pride. We used to have them in every side, from Gough, Amoruso to Davie Weir!!! Who do we have now of that ilk? Nobody, and until that changes, we will keep collapsing the moment real pressure arrives.

Midfield: No Bite, No Drive

Games are supposed to be won in midfield. For Rangers, they are being lost there. Our midfield has no bite, no drive, no one willing to take responsibility. Raskin has shown that he is capable of it, but appears out of favour now. Other than him… Rothwell doesn’t want to put a foot in, and none of the others seem to want to grab the game by the stuff of the neck and set the tone.

Brugge showed the difference. They had players who dictated the tempo and demanded the ball. We had shadows, hiding behind their markers. Until Rangers bring in a true leader in midfield, someone who thrives in a battle and drags others with him we will keep losing the heart of games before we even get started. Someone with heart, passion and drive… that’s what we are missing!

Up Front: A Striker With Standards

Rangers without a ruthless striker do not look like Rangers at all. We can pass and probe as much as we like, but we look blunt, we need that ruthless killer up front, the type that can sniff out an opportunity! What we have at the moment are the type that snatch at chances. Could you really trust Danilo or Dessers to bury the half chance that comes his way to win us the game? I for one do not.

Successful clubs need goalscorers. Right now we do not have one. If nothing else gets done in this window, Rangers must find an instinctive forward, someone that has that sixth sense when finding space. Our season depends on it

A Dressing Room Too Comfortable

As we fans all know, playing for The Famous is not just about ability. It is about mentality. Too many players look uncomfortable in the shirt, the burden, the pressure!

Bringing in real leaders would send the clearest message possible: standards at Rangers are not negotiable. Nobody’s place is safe. You fight for the jersey or you lose it. You take the adulation when it comes, but without maintaining those standards or displaying that fight, that jersey will only get heavier! That is how it should be!

And yes, maybe there are raw, untested leaders in that dressing room we have not seen yet. But ask yourself this. Would you follow someone who cannot even uphold a simple Rangers tradition on the sidelines because he is worried about breaking a sweat? Martin is demanding effort and bravery from his squad, while giving the fans little sense that he is sweating for the cause himself. Leadership is about example, and right now the man in charge does not look like a leader that players or supporters can believe in.

The Manager Question

This is where the board faces its biggest dilemma. With fans calling for Martin’s head, can he even be trusted to shape the squad in these final days? If they believe he is the man, they have to back him with players who can carry this team forward. If they do not, then why hand him new signings at all?

The bigger problem is that leadership starts at the very top. Rangers managers of the past set standards through everything they did. From how they carried themselves to how they demanded the highest effort from those around them. Martin has not shown that. If he is not willing to sweat the details, why should the players sweat for him? That is the core of the problem. We do not see a leader in the dugout, and without that, you cannot expect leaders on the pitch.

That is the gamble the board has made. Not just on his style of football, but on his ability to inspire. And after a humiliation like Brugge, that gamble looks bigger than ever.

Curtain Call

The clock is ticking. The execs can talk all they want about projects, philosophies, and patience, but Rangers fans have run out of all three. After Brugge, this club cannot afford another soft signing who might be ready in two years, or worse… another loan of a EPL reject. We need leaders right now. Leaders in defence, leaders in midfield, leaders up front. Players who can accept the weight of the badge and who will never hide from the fight.

And we need a manager who sets that example himself. Because until leadership returns to Rangers, on the pitch, in the dugout, and in the boardroom……. we will keep getting nights like Brugge.

Leaders, not projects. That is the only way forward. Get it done!