For all the positivity we at Ibrox Noise might be able to conjure now about Rangers given a fine 3-0 against Plzen in the Champions League qualifiers, it’s well known this club is garbage domestically. Fundamentally Russell Martin must win 3 points for Rangers this weekend.
Despite all the claims about formation changes and personnel to face the Czechs, there’s a total momentum swing when it comes to the league and we fully anticipate the side reverting to type v Dundee.
We expect a turgid match, the visitors low blocking, and a flat atmosphere. There may even be dropped points, because as much as the selection changes helped against Plzen, Rangers are just a different animal in Europe.
But bring it back to home and the vibe changes.
Fundamentally this doesn’t get away from how critical Dundee is having dropped those points v Motherwell. Rangers are already on the back foot and can’t afford to do it again. Drop any more and Celtic are at least four points ahead already, and that’s borderline unsustainable already.
Above all we half expect the manager to revert to type. To bring Tav, Danilo, Dowell and Raskin back in. All under the guise of ‘let them prove themselves’ and all that nonsense. As if they haven’t already. But above all Russell Martin must win 3 points for Rangers.
And we’ll see at Ibrox if the boss has now learned from his previous errors or if he’s just about to repeat the damn things again.
And the problem is, the warning signs are all there. The pattern of a big European night followed by a domestic flop is one Rangers never seem able to break. It’s as if the players cannot switch their mentality. Morever they’re happy to turn it on under the bright continental lights but unable to grind out ugly wins against stubborn SPL sides.
Crucially the crowd knows it too. There’s an impatience at Ibrox that spills over quickly if the first half is flat. The groans, the restlessness, the feeling that one counter could kill the match. It’s the same script too many times before.
If Rangers want to have any say in this title race, Dundee has to be different. Not just a win, but a statement – one that finally shows the league form can match the European nights. Anything less, and this season’s story already starts to write itself..
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