The biggest problem for this season hasn’t been the new, younger or project signings that Rangers made in the summer, it is those who were expected to be key players.
Nils Koppen has to move out a lot of players who aren’t good enough for Rangers on top of the five who will leave at the end of their contracts.
In particular, more was expected of Robin Propper and Nedim Bajrami, with only Vaclav Cerny from the summer intake hitting his targets.
These are the players who should provide leadership for those around them not, as Propper did against Aberdeen, berate them for his own mistake.
The current Rangers manager is exactly the type of player that is needed with Alex McLeish explaining just how high the standards were that Barry Ferguson used to set.
Alex McLeish on standards that Barry Ferguson sets for Rangers
Speaking ahead of the Scottish Cup semi-finals, McLeish recalled a story in which to Ibrox greats felt the full wrath of the the Hall of Fame skipper:
“Barry was the leader in the dressing room, no doubt about it,” reported the Glasgow Times.
“We had our wee shouts at each other at certain moments. You know what you’ve got with Barry and what you’re going to get.
“As a player, you got everything from the first minute to the last. His consistency was fantastic.
“When Arthur and Mikey Mols came to Rangers there was a game they talk about. Well, allegedly, because Arthur denies it – although he would!
“The story goes that at the end of a 1-1 draw with somebody at home, the new guys Numan and Mols were talking about going to an Italian bar for a drink. They were laughing.
“Then Fergie grabbed Arthur and said: ‘Do you have any idea what it takes to play for this club? We only drew today.’
“Arthur and Mikey were taken aback. They both said: ‘We do now.’
“Listen, there are maybe 20 teams in the world that have got to win every single week. That includes Argentine teams in Buenos Aires and places like that.
“I think Rangers are one of them.”
Has Ferguson had an impact at Rangers?
Ferguson has realised very quickly into his managerial stint at Rangers that knowing what the standards are, setting them, and getting players to achieve them are entirely different problems.
Propper was Twente’s captain before he signed for Rangers, and was well known to former assistant manager Andries Ulderink.
For Bajrami, who has spent most of his senior career in Italy, he should be the player who demands the ball in the final third when everyone around him is struggling.
Compare and contrast with Ianis Hagi and how he goes about his business, despite his contract situation, and you get the idea.
No technical director gets every signing right, however, the difference between spotting potential and proven winners has been Koppen’s biggest flaw so far.
A flaw that he needs to address this summer.
