The six game Rangers pattern that has me worried for the future - Four Lads

They are a superb side with multimillion-pound players throughout their squad and better teams will suffer big defeats this season.

And yet, all of this can be true but it doesn’t disguise some worrying trends from this Rangers team it would be disingenuous to ignore. 

It can be passive, it can seem defeatist and some players may look like they are giving effort, but to me, they are giving simply enough to get by. Enough to make it look like they are in the game but when they need to be brave and win fifty-fifty tackles, this team don’t seem to BELIEVE in themselves at this level. Arguably, this happens whenever a tough away game comes along. 

The Champions League is the elite level and some give the impression they don’t believe they should be here. Mentality? Ability? Coaching? 

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You can be beaten by better sides and still try to imprint your identity and style onto games. The fact we can’t seem to pass it five yards is as puzzling as it is infuriating. It’s almost as if we have seen an acceptance in Amsterdam that has repeated itself several times this season, in Belgium, Parkhead and Liverpool, even arguably Easter Road.  

At times, there is zero spark in this team and players have notably regressed right in front of our eyes. James Tavernier, John Lundstram, Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos are all miles away from the standards that made us punch way above our weight. They look like they have no belief. 

I’m struggling with the management and this will surprise no one. But the players need to stand up also, Gio can’t be blamed for not passing it accurately over five yards and he can’t force players to show heart. 

I’ve asked questions throughout the manager's reign and when we are almost a year in, there's a worry that at times it's a struggle to see what he is trying to do.

Van Bronckhorst is a top man. Arguably his hands are tied behind his back given a shoestring budget at this elite level. That can be absolutely true, but it doesn’t negate that this team at times don’t seem coached or drilled. 

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Don’t be fooled by the last ten minutes at Anfield or the fact it was ‘only 2-0’. The goalkeeper, a 40-year-old, stopped it from being worse than Amsterdam. 

Sure, let’s revisit the very first statement - that I shouldn't overreact to the result. After all, it was Liverpool at Anfield. That is absolutely true but can anyone truly sit and argue for a manager’s style or that he is improving this group? Can anyone argue we look like winning the fifty-fifty challenges or that we regularly look fluent and cohesive in our footballing style? 

At this level, we seem turgid and timid. That’s my fear. 

On a bigger scale, my worry is we grind teams down instead of having any identity. My concerns are about far more than Liverpool. It’s a collective showing that repeats itself - Union, Celtic, Ajax, Hibs, Dundee Utd and then Tuesday night. It’s not a knee-jerk reaction to one result, it’s a pattern and all within a few months of this season starting. 

But then what do I know? I’m overreacting and it was Anfield. The squad’s good and we are only two points behind. Well, I know enough to see warning signs in a team that is either not believing in what we are doing or not believing in ourselves. Does it all come back to training, player effort and management - or is it a collective? 

Even if I’m wrong, even if I’m way off, even if I’m overreacting, is there a case against what I'm saying?

I just don’t see it. I don’t see a team battling or fighting for every ball, I don’t see a tempo, I don’t see any desire. I see a team that when we need them to dig and battle, they don’t seem to believe it anymore.

I’m not for one minute asking for a managerial change or suggesting we should get rid of Gio but I think it’s absolutely fair to ask questions about how he is managing this side. 

I’ll accept defeat, it happens, but I can’t and won’t accept a Rangers team accepting an outcome before it’s even started. That performance at Anfield had that feeling and it’s not the first time either sadly. 

To repeat, it’s not one game and it’s not just Liverpool. This team seem to be reprising the same patterns. Why? Well that’s what the manager needs to provide answers for. 

So back to the very first statement. It’s Anfield. It’s elite-level football. So yes I get it. 

But you’ll need to go a long way to tell me that with four horror performances this season isn’t something to worry about and the trends we see are an anomaly to this group. 

At the moment, there are more questions than answers for this manager and his players.