Rangers have made their bed. Now, even if the sheets are covered in crumbs, even if the pillow is about as comfortable as sandpaper, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has no choice but to lie in it.
It’s not as if the Glasgow giants didn’t have the opportunity to bring a new goalkeeper to Ibrox over the summer. They reportedly offered Martin Fraisl, then of Schalke, a two-year contract before he helped one of European football’s best-supported clubs win promotion back to the Bundesliga.
They allegedly looked at Jack Butland too. Ditto Vladan Kovacevic. According to claims from Turkey, Rangers also ‘made an offer’ for talented 22-year-old Berke Ozer. But if the Gers thought they were ‘playing it safe’ by retaining Jon McLaughlin and offering Allan McGregor a contract extension – rather than bring in a player un-proven on the Scottish soil – the nature of Saturday’s 4-0 humbling at the home of Old Firm rivals Celtic gave off the impression of a club rapidly becoming aware of their own shortcomings less than a week after the transfer window closed.
Rangers thumped by Celtic and now face Champions League challenge
Yess, Celtic’s fourth goal – gifted and hand-wrapped to David Turnbull by the hapless McLaughlin – was a howler, pure and simple. But a goalkeeper starting between the sticks for a club of Rangers’ ambitions probably should have offered greater resistance for each of Liel Abada’s first-half strikes too.
Both goals were somewhat reminiscent of the one McLaughlin conceded against Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League qualifiers. Not the sort of mistake you’ll see in YouTube showreels. But moments in which you’d expect Rangers’ first-choice ‘keeper to do that little bit better.
It’s certainly hard to imagine Joe Hart making similar blunders at the other end of the pitch.
The new season is only about six weeks old. But McLaughlin already has some supporters counting down the minutes until the January window opens. Others clamouring for the return of 40-year-old McGregor. Did we mention Ajax, Napoli and Liverpool are all looming on the horizon?
Rangers recruitment under question again
It’s not as if Rangers can turn to Ozer or Fraisl to provide an immediate solution either. Ozer, a free-agent since July, signed a four-year deal with Portuguese outfit Portimonense while McLaughlin was scooping yet another ball out the back of his own net.
“I am happy to be here. All players want to take these big steps in their careers and I believe in this project,” explains the Turkey U23 international after touching down in Portugal.
“That’s also why I’m here. For the project, the club and the mentality towards young players. It is a great opportunity to come here.”
Fraisl, meanwhile, steps into Stefan Ortega’s shoes at Arminia Bielefeld, replacing Manchester City’s new number two at the German second-tier outfit after a brief spell training with Bayern Munich.
While Celtic are almost the picture of proactivity on and off the pitch, Rangers have once again been left looking passive and sluggish by comparison. Failing to reinforce adequately between the sticks is already looking like a potentially title-deciding error, and it’s only September 5th.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
