It’s been a really difficult week. Fall out from two horrendous defeats meant a reaction was needed. The Pittodrie trip was cancelled due to the sad passing our her majesty Queen Elizabeth II so we had a week to think over what had been two dreadful results and performances.

Napoli came to Ibrox and Rangers performed much more valiantly. It was better organised, zonal marking had thankfully been ditched and the effort was certainly there with the best we've seen. Up until the red card, Rangers were well in the game. In fact, Morelos' headed chance within 30 seconds, Arfield's drive, a missed Morelos thin air kick and a looping Goldson header were all legitimate Rangers opportunities.

Then the game changed in a blink of an eye with two quickfire James Sands cautions. The second led to a penalty and two wonderful Allan McGregor saves but it merely kept Napoli at bay and soon they had another penalty which, this time, they scored.

Both penalties were ultimately correct and we can have no complaints however the over-fussy whistler certainly seemed to give Napoli the benefit of the doubt when it came to free kicks. That’s an observation, not in any way an excuse, as the officiating certainly made no difference to the outcome, the big calls were correct.

The biggest talking point however was not the fact the Champions League was returning or a vibrant Ibrox atmosphere, it was the team selection and lack of any of the seven summer signings. Immediately I was somewhat perplexed at that. 

Rangers have told us they acted early in the market to be ready for the Champions League challenge and to get the players up to speed. But game time has been limited for the big signings and that’s a concern. Ridvan Yilmaz was a £3m project, Ben Davies a £4m defender we have seen little of and Rabbi Matondo a £2m winger who played on the left and we signed for the right. An outlay close to £10m who have barely featured. This club isn’t in a position to get these deals wrong, it’s a huge outlay for us.

Looking more closely at these deals, firstly we can see Borna Barisic has upped his game due to the competition. Yilmaz was always going to find it difficult so we can put that one aside for now. Ben Davies has been injured according to the manager but has been in the last three squads and is not deemed good enough to start or come on ahead of two centre midfielders or a 18-year-old at centre-back. Rabbi Matondo looked very promising in pre-season but has quickly found himself out the team whilst others underperform in front of him. It’s not good enough.

Of the eleven players we have signed this calendar year, only James Sands started last night in a team that was built in 2018/19 by Steven Gerrard and we knew needed strengthening even then. Our recruitment had to be spot on, our big signings had to make a difference. They haven’t. Yes it’s early and we can’t write them off, but you don’t have to look far to see signings coming in and making an instant impact. Our success rate isn’t high enough and everyone is becoming concerned about that in the fan base.

READ MORE: Rangers, Darius Campbell and the Florida Court: What's going on?

I asked the manager about this post-match on Tuesday and if he was happy with recruitment. His answer was interesting and depending on your interpretation, telling. His resonse almost certainly presents more questions than answers.

Gio said : “I always pick the team who I think will win the game. I am not going to pick 11 players and say ‘Okay, I’ll put three new signings in and four who have been here for 10 years’.

"It doesn’t work like that. I have my two eyes, I can see how their performances are, I can see how they train.

"I don’t look at new signings or players who have been here for a longer number of years, I just pick the best 11 for the game. I think the starting 11 played really well.”

The huge takeaway from that is ‘I can see how they train’. If he is picking the best team available then what does that say for those new signings in training and how their performances are?

We have been here before, Gio clearly didn’t fancy Aaron Ramsey and he rarely used his January signings. James Sands has come in a fair bit more this season granted. But once again we are here watching new players struggling to get minutes and big signings seemingly not deemed acceptable to start.

Now if Rangers say we signed early to be ready and that’s why we got no late signings, then what does that say when in mid-September none of the new boys are deemed good enough to start? Why are they not good enough to start? He sharply said he has two eyes and sees how they train and how they perform, then is he telling us they basically aren’t good enough?

So if he’s telling us that, then the next question is are these his players and is he happy with the recruitment? Actions speak louder than words and the evidence is damning.

But as we go through three high-scoring defeats and score zero in return the manager will carry the can. But perhaps the spotlight should be on Ross Wilson and his recruitment team. This is his department and the facts are startling. There is certainly more questions than answers and the manager has helped create them through his response.

That aside, Rangers need to halt this run of results immediately. Dundee Utd is a must-win and then we break for internationals. Perhaps some of those injured can return and two more weeks on the training field may see those new players deemed ready enough. 

The questions will keep coming and it’s more than van Bronckhorst and the players that have to answer them. Ibrox is no place to hide and only peek around doors when big the signings arrive and subsequent acclaim comes with it.

Questions are fair and they will be asked more broadly of all at the club, no matter their stature. That’s life at this club we love.