Rangers didn’t get the result they needed at Tannadice, and I fear it could be more of the same unless Andrew Cavenagh gets his chequebook out and the recruitment team move quickly in their pursuit of the quality additions this squad still needs.
I’ve said it since the West Ham game and throughout this summer: we lack quality, and we offer very little from wide areas. We have a group of hard-working, creative players who can contribute now and then, but not always when it really counts. We’re still short of the match-winners and game-changers this squad needs.
I know that view hasn’t landed well with everyone in the Rangers Review comments sections, but I’ll always be honest about what I see, even when it’s not the easiest thing to hear.
Truthfully, Rangers have done real squad-building work this summer. The signings largely make sense, though we’ve lost Tavernier, Moore and, likely, Raskin from a team that already needed strengthening.
Despite talk of a new, more collaborative approach to the transfer window, some familiar patterns remain - plenty of business done, with a few projects mixed in.
Let’s be realistic - Cammy Devlin, Ross McCrorie and Olwethu Makhanya are squad players adding useful depth. On Dan Neil it remains to be seen where he fits in. Vanja Dragojevic and Ivor Pandur are expected to be first-team players who will hopefully bring real quality. Ben Godfrey is a rehabilitation project; I like the look of him, but fitness is understandably a concern. Lawrence Shankland is a good finisher, but without more creativity around him, he may struggle - something the manager himself has acknowledged.
That’s the reality. We get excited about players, but games like Dundee United away bring it back into focus. I might sound like I’m labouring the point, but I’m just trying to be a realist.
If we’re content with battling for second place, then draws like this could become the norm, because there are still areas of this squad that need work.
As chairman, Cavenagh has an opportunity to back the recruitment team and push for the genuine X factor that gives the manager a real chance. Quality over quantity feels essential here.
The manager himself has said signings need to happen soon. He’s been smart about it — by putting a timeline on things, he’s created some healthy pressure. It would be good to see that urgency matched by quicker action elsewhere.
In doing so, he’s highlighting where things need to improve. That’s not on him - it’s on recruitment and ownership to get this right quickly. Otherwise, days like United away risk becoming more familiar than any of us would like. If the manager isn’t given enough quality, it will be an uphill battle for him, just as it’s been for those before him.
As ever, the success of a Rangers manager is so reliant on the quality available to him.
The United game showed both sides of where we’re at: a tough goal to concede, a spirited fightback, but not quite enough quality in the final third to get over the line. McInnes summed it up well - we looked more eager to equalise than to find a winner. That comes down to missing a bit more creativity and cutting edge.
You can talk about mentality and playing for the jersey, but real quality still makes the difference in games like this.
Manny Fernandez’s mistake for the goal was a costly one, and there’s a broader lesson there about matching effort to ability, especially for players still building their reputation. He’s clearly capable, but that moment wasn’t good enough, and I think he’d be the first to admit it.
Heading into the European game, I do worry a little, because we’re still quite an ordinary side in key areas.
A few difference makers are needed to make good of a more solid spine.
Read more:
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I hope Cavenagh and the recruitment team can deliver the reinforcements needed, and soon, so days like United away don’t become the standard, and the manager isn’t left firefighting with a squad that isn’t quite where it needs to be.
Match-winners are urgently needed. The manager has said it, and most supporters can see it too.
The board, the executive, the recruitment team, the management and the players - we’re all hoping to see it come together.
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