With the dust having settled
following the mass exodus of just over a week ago confirming the release of
eleven players, Ibroxnoise.co.uk thought it worthwhile to take its readers
through a report card of all of them, assessing their entire times at Rangers.
Some readers may wonder what the
point is, but the truth is these eleven are the remnants of the McCoist era, a
period of time which cost Rangers so much on the field, and it is valid to
examine each player’s overall time in Govan as a contribution towards this
woeful era.
So, without further ado:
Steve Simonsen. In actual truth, this guy was not the worst
shot-stopper or indeed communicator; his reaction save at Forfar was
exceptional, and he did a very good job of organising the back line and barking
orders. Unfortunately his downfall was a predilection towards making some
horrendous aberrations, the visit of Dundee Utd in 2014 being a ‘highlight’,
and his gambling gaffe was a serious error of judgement. A better goalkeeper
than Cammy Bell, but his mistakes let him down badly. 6/10
Lee Robinson. His debut was incompetent and nervous, but deep into
the McDowall reign he started to prove his worth, and while not spectacular, he
was reliable, dependable, and earned the jersey, ditching Simsonsen down to
number 2 (Bell
was injured, of course). The very definition of an able deputy. 7/10
Richard Foster. Not the pacy Richard Foster he used to be, but
still had half a yard on opponents, and when it came to last-ditch defensive
backup, Foster actually had some worth. Unfortunately he was pretty atrocious
at everything else, with feeble wing play and absolutely horrendous crossing.
He was one of the better performers admittedly in the playoffs, but that really
is not saying much. One of the least popular signings by McCoist. 5/10
Lee McCulloch. A fringe player under Walter Smith, his most notable
contribution under the Gaffer was that bullet header in the Gerland v Lyon. Otherwise he was a player fans resented seeing
start such was his mediocrity. But then McCulloch became an accidental hero
when he remained in Govan in 2012, gaining the captaincy by default and
becoming, for a while, a cult player among fans who admired his loyalty. And in
2012/2013 he did a decent job as a striker. Thereafter, a total disaster, seemingly
invulnerable to being dropped and wasting a shirt in defence, unable to do the
job there. 4/10
Bilel Mohsni. Aerial prowess and dribbling skills from defence
should have been a platform from which Mohsni could have built and become a
stellar defender, but in truth his lazy play, lackadaisical concentration and combustible
personality are why the man’s biggest gig was Rangers in the Championship. Aged
27, Mohsni could have been so much more, if only he had had the right
management and the ability to mature. Unfortunately, his career is a case of
what might have been. 5/10
Sebastien Faure. A very unfortunate one – he rarely let Rangers
down when he played, and showed versatility in defence and at RB. He is one of
the few released players many fans would have given a second chance to. Alas he
featured sparingly, and was ditched more or less completely after McDowall took
charge. That did not change with McCall, and although injury was cited as the
reason, given Jon Daly has denied he was
injured it might be similar for Faure, and McCall just did not fancy him. Pity,
he looked like a reliable defender and did a solid job when asked. 7/10
Steven Smith. Never was an especially great player, Smith, but was
probably just about good enough to return in the Club’s new circumstances. His
passing, movement, and general all-round play second time round was quite
mediocre, but his set-piece delivery was arguably the best at the Club. He did
a job, and was released. Cannot say a great deal more. 6/10
Kyle Hutton. A five-match a season man, Hutton could produce in short
bursts a decent level of play, but then it would fade and his mediocrity would
expose itself. Also heavily associated with the old ‘Nandos’ era which
embarrassed the younger players and was only too happy to block Rangers
supporters on social media for simply disagreeing with him. Or less. Requires
to mature in the mind. Will probably end up at East Fife.
3/10
Ian Black. Coming as the big midfield enforcer who could dominate
the middle, Black was the most controversial signing of the recently-departeds.
Mainly because of his reputation and that assault on Jelavic. But in Rangers’
new status of Division 3, some fans were happy to see SPL quality arrive.
Unfortunately he did not come close to delivering, despite being near-enough
ever-present till McDowall finally ditched him in February. A colossal waste of
money and the ultimate symbol of McCoist’s failures and ‘Ally Pal’ clique
mentality. 2/10
Kris Boyd. A popular signing, Boyd did the business at every Club
he was at. Until he returned to Ibrox. Touch was gone, his shooting was awry,
and his confidence was spent. A painful shadow of the old Boyd and no one
complained at him leaving. 2/10
Jon Daly. He did quite well up front initially, getting a fair glut
of goals in League 1. But thereafter it dried up and he became an extremely
unpopular selection, another player who summed up all that was wrong with the
Ally era. Eventually he was axed entirely even if it was misleadingly labelled
by McCall as an injury. 4/10
So, that is your lot. No denying
we will not all agree on these ratings or indeed summaries, but feel free to
add your own.