Robin Propper has not had an easy start to life at Rangers.
For a start, there is pressure on the club as a whole right now as they face a battle to finish in the Premiership’s top two let along ensure they are in a title race.
Recent results and performances have not been good enough and fans have voiced that.
From a personal point of view, Propper is one of the players to have struggled for consistency and also to adapt to the physicality of Scottish football after moving from FC Twente in his homeland of the Netherlands.
As a result he has been openly criticised in the media with one pundit claiming he is a downgrade on former Rangers defender Connor Goldson.
And Derek Ferguson said Philippe Clement got the signing wrong, predicting a quick transfer exit in January.
Robin Propper on Rangers frustrations
Despite all of that, Robin Propper insists he has enjoyed his short time at Rangers so far.
The 31-year-old started the season as a first pick centre half alongside John Souttar but, after a mixture of injuries and inconsistent form, has recently been in and out of the team with Leon Balogun stepping in.
He was back in from the start for the draw with Dundee United but prior to that he remained on the bench throughout league games against Hearts and St Mirren and the cup semi-final with Motherwell.
Manager Philippe Clement has rotated other parts of the squad as he tries to navigate them through a hectic fixture list across domestic competition and the Europa League.
Propper says such squad rotation takes a lot of going used to.
Speaking to Voetbal Primeur in his homeland, he said: “I enjoy it here, but I certainly don’t play everything in the competition. There is room for improvement.
“The coach changes, he looks at the opponent. We are not used to that in the Netherlands, and as a player you still want to play as much as possible.
Propper on rough and tumble of Scottish football
Propper has appeared to agree with an assertion that some others have made – he’s struggling with the physicality of Scottish football.
He admits the style of play here is very different to the slower build-up he’s used to and that means he needs to get involved in more battles with centre forwards.
But he insists he can get to grips with it given time and has set himself the target of being an undisputed first pick by the end of 2024.
“Despite my age, I have to get used to Scottish football,” Propper admitted. “In the Eredivisie, a lot is focused on tactical and footballing ability.
“Everyone wants to build up. Here, the focus is more on results, you play against opponents who play a long ball from the keeper.
“Many Scottish teams want to move forward as quickly as possible, play deep balls over the defense, quickly towards the enemy goal.
“You can also hear it in the audience, they want the ball forward, where in the Netherlands they might prefer to play the ball wide. Take it easy. Sometimes there is no patience for that here.
“In the Netherlands I took the short ball that is played to the striker into account. Then the striker comes into the ball, here right in your back.
“So I have to position myself differently, and use my physique differently. But that’s also why I came here; to learn something new. My goal is to be an undisputed regular at the end of the year, that’s what I’m going for.”
