Only Rangers could issue α 17-minute video designed to fill the information vacuum and to address the negativity regarding the club’s communication with fans and see themselves come under even more fire when it wasn’t immediately free for all – cue outrage.
Once the dust settled on the initial anger there was α lot to unpack from John Bennett’s interview with Rangers TV, he accepted that communication needs to be better but also urged fans to believe everything they read, urging α sense of realism over the revenue that has ben made over the last 18-months.
🎙️ Deputy Chairman, John Bennett, sat down with RangersTV to address a range of issues. Part 2 will be published later todayhttps://t.co/j5sSJIJs8I
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) September 20, 2022
There was one point though that did strike α chord, the one about recruitment.
My view is very much that it is too early to assess some of the summer signings and we and Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been unlucky with the injuries that he has had to contend with, the vice-chairman echoing these sentiments as reported by The Rangers Review:
“I learned long ago not to judge a new Rangers player within weeks. That goes way back in my life as a Rangers supporter.
“I’ve some more players take time to settle than those who have hit the ground running. I looked at Tom Lawrence and saw a player who had hit the ground running. Then events happen. Injury. Others haven’t hit the ground running for various reasons.
“We’re six weeks into a season. I won’t judge a football player who comes to Rangers within that period of time. I’ve learned to wait a bit longer. We haven’t seen enough of them. I think we will see them.
“If you take another young player we’ve signed, Yilmaz, yes we’ve spent significant money on that transfer, but we’ve signed him for five years, not five weeks.
“I won’t wait five years to judge him but nor will I do it after five weeks.
“If we need a very recent reminder of why we shouldn’t players early in their Rangers career I suggest Calvin Bassey.”
Bennett is right, in my opinion anyway, we can’t judge Ben Davies or Ridvan because we haven’t seen them play, Rabbi Matondo also falls into this category seeing as he has never had α run of games when he has been available. Only Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence can be said to have been immediate hits with Malik Tillman suggesting that, long-term, he could be α real asset if he becomes more consistent.
Only last season we saw John Lundstram being written off and some fans even wanting him sold in January to become our best player in the second half of the season, it does take time to adjust to life at Rangers where second is nothing and, as Bennett also said, you’re only as good as your last pass never mind your last game.