Rangers fans were patiently waiting for the 2024/25 campaign to arrive to see what manager Philippe Clement could actually do with a full pre season and summer transfer window under his belt. Having replaced former gaffer Michael Beale in mid October last season, we pushed it pretty close under his tutelage, performances improved and there will be those who feel that our points tally at the end of the year should well have been higher.
It is safe to say that, therefore, optimism and expectations were high going into the summer and our 50 year old Belgian gaffer made numerous moves in the window to bring down the average age of the squad (and hold more players with a development sell on value), yet here we are in November and it has all gone a little bit pear shaped and football betting tips would not have predicted the struggles we have now encountered.
With eleven games played in this years Scottish Premiership campaign we have significant performance level issues, consistency problems, and we find ourselves in third place in the table on only 22 points as our former optimism has only resulted in seven wins and a solitary draw so far. The three defeats and a very poor plus eight goal difference at this stage of the season were understandably totally unexpected, and we remain nine points off top spot.
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Fans naturally had some concerns at our business and wondered if we had gone young and raw a little bit too quickly, and some comments from the club relating to balance and experience would imply that they agreed, particularly as it has not been hidden that we were hoping for at least another two faces through the door as well. Sadly it seems the concerns have more than come true, but blaming just inexperience for our problems would, of course, totally absolve the experience we have in the group and, Clement’s own in match tactics and approach to games.
It would also not explain the lacklustre showings that we have seen, and the lack of drive, desire and arguably pride and passion that has often been missing.
That is only one side of the story this year though, we do not just have on pitch problems, we have off pitch issues as well with key roles continuing to remain vacant, and with the Board now confirming this years Annual General Meeting date, it does not take much of an educated guess to imagine that both topics will feature highly amongst those shareholders who are members of the Ibrox faithful, and I fully guess that the summer stadium construction issue will also come up, as whilst that was fully out of our control – it has sadly set the tone for the season that has followed so far, and news of our £17.2 million loss will not go down well either.
The AGM has been confirmed as taking place on December 5th at the Clyde Auditorium and of course, our December is now set to be make or break in many ways when we look back at the season as a whole. The festive month will not just define our league campaign, we also have the Scottish League Cup Final to consider, and just ahead of that we have a massive clash in the Europa League with English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and a reunion with a certain Ange Postecoglou.
A cynic would cruelly question the date, but with the fixture calendar as it is, it is the sensible choice, albeit it takes the Final and Europe off the cards and the anger that might raise. Whilst that may not be perfect in the eyes of many fan shareholders and it will feel like those potential ramifications are being dodged, it does mean questions will be focused on our exact current position and, as ever, AGM’s are usually always heated enough without adding further red mist to the occasion.
For those fans who feel the anger is the message, others will feel the questions will send their own message, so a sensible mix should suit everyone.
The truth is the AGM is one thing, by the time it takes place our December form and the second half of the season is far more important and relevant than anything that will be said during that event.
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