Summer signing targeted by unhappy Bears – fair?

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Summer signing targeted by unhappy Bears – fair?


Last night’s win over Porto was a strange old one. It was a rank-rotten first half, let’s not kid ourselves, in which the visitors were the superior side but lacked killer edge, while the home side barely strung a single pass together and too many players just seemed off-colour.

But then the Jekyll and Hyde nature of a ‘game of two halves’ emerged and Rangers, marginally better after the restart, scored a brilliantly opportunistic goal modestly against the run of play and then went on to be by far the better side.

However, among all the jubilation of this excellent result, we get the nagging feeling one Rangers player definitely emerged a little bruised (and social media seems to back this up).

Brandon Barker, an honest and decent enough individual, was probably exposed more than most last night as simply not good enough to compete for Rangers at that kind of level.

Now, we should reaffirm – Barker is not a rotten player – he did well at Hibs, enough that his performance at Easter Road v James Tavernier where he gave Rangers’ captain a torrid time is the one we all remember.

And overall he was pretty good during his time there.

But last night, unfortunately, he did look like a Hibs player.

Barker will do Rangers an honourable enough turn in the SPL – he’s a very decent squad level player, and perhaps he has some developing to do to bloom further, which isn’t a shock at his age (he’s only 23), but we cannot help feeling that beyond as a late sub, his place probably isn’t in Rangers’ Europa League XIs.

Many expressed surprise that Sheyi Ojo wasn’t starting, but of course the player to have the most impact on arrival having replaced the outgone Barker was Scott Arfield.

And regardless of who you’d prefer between the Liverpool loanee and the Canada international, we’d imagine the majority probably wouldn’t have Barker in their first-choice Rangers side.

Of course, Steven Gerrard makes these calls and not us, and he’ll look at the 2-0 score as vindication, but then Barker had just been taken off and then Morelos scored.

It was a signing made in the first place on the basis that Kent wasn’t coming, that we weren’t spending the money and Liverpool wouldn’t loan him.

It’s safe to say a 60% Kent is 20x the player Barker is, and that’s no fault of the ex-City lad.

And we’re lucky we do have Kent, but similarly fortunate to have a solid bit of squad depth in the form of Barker.

But maybe preferably only for the SPL.

But it’s not us who makes those calls.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. I think we're being a bit previous, to be saying Barker is a mediocre player. How many times was Goldson, rank-rotten. Then he goes and gives a performance, like last night. I suppose he's getting full-tilt for our first half, being a bit lack-lustre. But then Kamara, has been luke warm, for more than ONE game. Nobody is calling for his, scalp. I don't like failure, like the rest of us, but it's a bit too soon, to write the lad off.

  2. He did ok in Porto, until he got injured. Last night in the first half, Porto seemed to have upped their game compared to the way they played at home, and Barker looked well out of his depth against some pretty decent and experienced players. But he certainly worked hard and never hid, and I am sure he will have learnt from the experience of last night's game. Hopefully he will develop and improve.

  3. Lets be honest a speedy winger giving our right back a torrid time isn't really anything to write home about. In fact if someone who we are saying isn't good enough for the Europa league and he gives our RB a torrid time in the SPL what does it really say about our RB???

  4. Good article IN. Nosho and Barker are proving that we're carrying a passenger at this level which we cannot afford to do. Is there a right sided, wide player ready to step up from the reserves?

  5. Barker last night was an empty shirt but at the same time I thought he was great last time out against Porto. All players will have bad games from time to time, but I will agree that unless he can gain some consistency he should merely be back up for Kent and a fit Jordan Jones.

  6. This lad is just not the quality we need to advance. I would punt him and Greg Stewart in January and bring in 2 quality replacements.

  7. These guys are still a quality above what we have had. Wait until Barker or Ojo scores a wonder goal and the headlines will be Gerrard knows what he is doing. Jack not so long ago was to be punted too. Look at that. Morelos was a liability. Look at that. barisic wasnt the player we signed. Look at that. davis is past it. Look at that. Guys as a coach, SG will have to break skills back down, put better techniques in, this is where SG is making HUGE gains for us .doesnt happen overnight or 2 games. Social media just doesnt do patience

  8. My thoughts exactly when I was watching the game. Barker looks like decent Hibs player to me. I sincerely hope he proves me wrong.

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