So many things have become abundantly clear over Rangers’ past two matches. The competitive era under Derek McInnes is now well and truly underway. There is so much to dissect and discuss. However, the big issue we alluded to earlier is the growing and unwanted influence of Dan Neil. Dan Neil’s Rangers struggles are getting frustrating.
Dan Neil’s growing influence
The former Sunderland captain appears to have wrapped his tentacles around Rangers.
He has been an absolute pain thus far. Rangers have undeservedly elevated and promoted him to vice captain. Fans aren’t exactly thrilled with this or his pitiful displays.
The signs were not good when we saw him wearing the armband during preseason. It gave Ibrox Noise James Tavernier vibes.
This was somebody we had no respect or time for and did not even want at the club. Yet he started wearing the armband undeservedly.
Neil has only been at Rangers for two minutes. However, he has already become a first team mainstay and vice captain.
This is an extremely disquieting turn of events.
Rangers need genuine leaders
We know the vice captain is not necessarily as important as the captain. However, it still carries huge responsibility.
When the captain is absent or injured, the vice captain must assume that role.
We did not like James Tavernier on any level, especially as captain. We did not like vice captain Connor Goldson either.
However, we admit that Goldson was far more of a leader than Tavernier. He was a bigger and more alpha individual.
He still blamed everyone else for his own mistakes. Nevertheless, he was a better leader than James Tavernier.
Dan Neil does not even come close to Goldson in terms of leadership or alpha qualities. He is an abysmal choice as vice captain.
Derek McInnes categorically stated that Neil was the vice captain and would lead the team in Poland. Most Rangers fans simply did not want to hear those words.
Neil resembles Joe Rothwell
As Ibrox Noise warned, Neil has simply come across like Joe Rothwell Mark II.
Bournemouth did not want Rothwell. However, many Rangers fans gave him an elevated nonsense status following his loan spell at Leeds.
That loan helped Leeds win promotion. However, once promoted, Leeds had no further interest in Rothwell.
He returned to Bournemouth, who also had no interest in him. They then sold him to Rangers.
Of course, that happened during the Russell Martin era. Ibrox Noise knew from Rothwell’s Blackburn Rovers past that Rangers did not want this guy.
By that, we mean Rangers should not have wanted him. However, the club had previously been linked with him.
Other fans extolled the virtues of the Great Joe Rothwell. Across the Ibrox turf he arrived, much to Ibrox Noise’s disdain.
We are seeing exactly the same pattern again with Dan Neil. He is a carbon copy, occupying the same position and receiving the same importance.
He also received the same initial fanfare. However, his performances have been absolute garbage.
The attitude is right but the quality is not
Ibrox Noise recently spoke to an insider who suggested Neil would shine in the Premiership. He believed Neil could easily shine in England’s Premier League.
We were dubious about this but wanted to trust his judgement. Alas, that judgement appears to be miles off.
Neil has been such a poor acquisition thus far. He looks completely out of his depth and does not grasp Rangers’ pressure.
He did want to be at Ibrox. We knew that. He abandoned talks with Southampton once he knew Rangers were seriously pursuing him.
He definitely had the right attitude. The problem is that he simply is not good enough.
He does not have the right mentality for the club’s pressure. His performances thus far have shown that.
Making him vice captain really adds insult to injury. It is like dragging arsenic over the wound, never mind salt.
Consequently, we wonder what on earth comes next. Dan Neil has become vice captain and led the team in a massive match.
What else can Rangers fans fear aside Dan Neil’s Rangers struggles is coming?