Did Rangers boss Steven Gerrard make mistake over Ryan Jack?

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Glasgow Rangers were knocked out of the Europa League as the Ibrox side suffered a 1-0 defeat.

Now the dust has settled somewhat on Rangers’ Europa League exit, the Ibrox faithful are reflecting on how well the Gers did to get through all the qualifying rounds and be so disappointed with not reaching the knockout stages.

However, while Rangers can be proud of some of their performances, Thursday’s clash with Rapid Vienna has to feel like a massive missed opportunity.

The game was essentially killed off when Rangers – who needed a win to progress – went behind in the 84th minute. The goal was sloppy and the Gers were unable to recover and ultimately finished third in the group.

And perhaps one particular decision that Gerrard made during the game should be scrutinised as it seemed to do Rangers no favours.

With 11 minutes remaining, Gerrard replaced Ryan Jack with Kyle Lafferty. The decision to bring Lafferty on made sense with the Gers searching for the crucial goal.

However, Jack had arguably been Rangers’ best player. He was easily the standout performer in the Gers’ midfield and looked composed on a pitch that tested many of the Light Blues’ most reliable squad members.

Had Ross McCrorie been replaced, Jack could have quite easily slotted into the holding role that McCrorie had been deployed in. The youngster was not playing badly at all, but he started to look tired and that seemed to cost Rangers as he lost his man in the build-up to the goal.

Jack had just committed a foul before he was replaced, so perhaps Gerrard made the decision based on the fact that the midfielder had already been booked and may have been one foul away from a red card – especially with some of the bizarre decisions that have been made by officials this season.

Rangers fans will be able to highlight a handful of key moments throughout the campaign – particularly in the last three games – that proved costly. Jack being replaced may not be one of the obvious ones, but it certainly did not appear to do Rangers any favours as they searched for the vital winner.