Let’s have a look at the headlines and rumours surrounding Rangers this past week.
Normally, a home defeat to Hamilton would be the dominant story. As has been the case for years though, things aren’t just normal at Rangers. The fan reaction to the defeat pretty much epitomises that. Some were angry. Some were rather resigned. And some were angry that some were resigned. With everything that’s going on, there are fans who can’t even muster the energy to get annoyed by a poor performance.
That’s in no way a criticism. If I’m honest, I would probably be in that category in many respects. A prolonged manager chase, a squad lacking confidence, and one too many grey areas surrounding the club’s long-term approach are all dominant. Results can become secondary in that case, albeit temporarily.
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And that becomes even more probable when the rumours on our next manager start to appear. Alex McLeish is now the bookies’ favourite to take over. The bookmakers have really taken advantage of years of “they’re rarely wrong” reputations to make more money from punters, but their markets still get a lot of attention. There’s also been a lot of suggestions that Murty will be kept in charge for the foreseeable future. Neither prospect would excite the majority of fans. With West Brom being rumoured as making a move for McInnes, the preferred choice of many Rangers fans, the feeling that the club are taking too long over this is growing. As I write this, I’m receiving messages claiming McLeish will be appointed today. I’m also reading on message boards that he’s never been considered by the board. With the club seemingly doing a good job of not leaking information, rumours are getting far more traction than they should.
That also applies to the playing squad. A story has broken today that Bruno Alves allegedly refused to be a substitute in the game at the weekend. He wasn’t in the released training pictures on Friday, and the initial assumption was that he was injured. There were also rumours that Carlos Pena and Alfredo Morelos were disciplined for a night out on the Tuesday, and that Morelos was going to be dropped. The latter never transpired, but Pena’s continued absence does suggest there’s more going on.
In fairness, all of the above is rumour and conjecture. As the days pass without any solid news on the bigger concerns, this noise will grow. Such is the nature of society in these times, and it may always have been that way.
The Under-20 squad progressed in the Scottish Youth Cup on Monday night with a 5-2 extra time win over Partick Thistle. By all accounts, they were impressive aside from a spell at the end of the 90 minutes which let Thistle back into the tie. Serge Atakayi was heavily involved again, as he seems to be in every game the Development Squad play. Hopefully, he’ll get his chance to play in the first team at some point soon.
I’d imagine by the time you read this, there will be more rumours and stories to discuss! Tweet us @rangersnewsuk with your comments.