Connor Goldson took a while to settle into life as a Rangers player but, in his first season, the excuse that he hadn’t been playing regularly cut him a bit of slack.
Now, some five years later, there is no excuse, and repeated mistakes and sub-par performances mean that whoever replaces Michael Beale, has to seriously consider the vice-captain’s place in the team.
No player should be immune from being dropped, including Connor Goldson, and continuing to make the same mistakes for Rangers should see him axed.
In John Souttar, it’s not like we have an inexperienced option sitting kicking his heels.
Yes, the Scotland international has been culpable too at times this season, however, he could at least point to playing on his weaker and less natural side.
Connor Goldson place in Rangers team has to be considered
There is though, no defence for what Connor Goldson did at the first goal Rangers conceded against Limassol.
With three attackers and 10 defenders in the box, we should never have lost a goal from a corner at either the first or second phase but, when an individual doesn’t follow their runner or challenge for a header, expect the worst.
Speaking to TNT after the game, Connor Goldson, who cost Rangers a reported £3m, knew that he let himself and his Rangers teammates down:
“The first one is from a set-piece. It’s my man, it’s my fault.
“The second goal we made a mistake and got punished for it. That sums us up at the moment, we are giving away poor goals. And we are not scoring at the other end, so we need to put it right.
“We need to work harder and become a team as quickly as possible. Everything we do has to be together. We need to defend better and get stronger in attack, so a lot of work has to be done.
“We have to work in every way and aspect of the game to get better. We will try our best and work harder.”
There’s not much he could say after such a dismal performance but, at least, he owned up for his mistake.
Connor Goldson, at his best, is the rock that holds the whole Rangers defence together but last night, he let himself and his teammates down.
The 30-year old was consistently caught out of position, slow to press Limassol strikers, unable to recover when dragged out of position and then resorted to hitting long ball after long ball, a night to forget in more ways than one.
Would John Souttar have made a big difference?
Maybe not, but even his worst game in a Light Blues shirt has been nowhere near as bad as the vice-captain’s efforts in Cyprus.
When the new manager comes in, status should mean nothing and being ruthless should be a character trait that is no longer a desire but a necessity for the job.
