It was a case of in with the old and out with the new for Rangers when the team sheet dropped for their Champions League clash with Napoli at Ibrox Stadium. It was the first time in 12 years a group stage game in UEFA’s premier competition had been hosted in Govan – and two of the Light Blues XI were involved in the last game.
But the sight of Allan McGregor – who proved his worth as he rolled back the years with two penalty saves only to be beaten at the third attempt from 12 yards – and fellow veteran Steven Davis lining up against Napoli more than a decade after facing Manchester United in the competition wasn’t even the biggest indictment of the club’s recruitment.
No, it was another statistic that has really placed a huge question mark over the signing policy: that nine of the Rangers starting line-up were at the club in Steven Gerrard’s FIRST season. The Liverpool and England legend, of course, took over four-and-a-half years ago and eight of those nine were there at the close of the summer transfer window, with Davis arriving midway through that campaign.
So that line up flies in the face of sporting director Ross Wilson’s mantra as footage surfaced from the former Southampton transfer guru outing his approach at the club. “One of the things I always say to my staff at the training ground is having a ‘What’s next?,’ mentality,” he said.” When we’ve done something, what can we do next? Without being reckless, without being kamikaze but making sure we have a clear plan to keep moving the club forward in all of the areas because football doesn’t stop and we definitely can’t stop. We have to keep our foot to the floor. We have to keep moving forward and remember the club we represent.”
One fan responded to that clip being shared on social media by saying it’s true to say they haven’t stopped but the problem is they have been in reverse! Of the two players not at Rangers during Gerrard’s first season, one was still signed by the man who left for Aston Villa. John Lundstram arrived shortly before his departure to the Midlands while James Sands - sent off in the game’s turning point - was the only Giovanni van Bronckhorst recruit.
The Dutchman was asked about the fact not one of his seven summer signings started against the Italians and appeared to bristle when asked why £4 million defender Ben Davies remained on the bench with Leon King on ahead of him. "Why do I have to talk about Ben Davies?,” was Van Bronckhorst’s response when asked about the former Liverpool man. “He's just back in training. I put players in who I think are ready to play and that's why I put Leon in first. He's developing really well and played really well in the second half against Ajax and that's why I put him in and Ben didn't start.
“I always pick the team that I think will win the game. I'm not going to pick the team based on selecting three new signings and eight who have been here for ten years. It doesn't work like that. I have two eyes. I can see how the performances are. I can see how they train. Eventually, I don't look at new signings or players who have been here for many years, it's just the best eleven for the game today and I think the starting eleven played really well.”
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