DANNY ROHL has inherited a Rangers squad not fit for purpose. A team of inadequates unfit to wear the jersey.
On the watch of Russell Martin, Kevin Thelwell and Patrick Stewart, Gers fell so far they are unrecognisable from the team which roared and soared its way to the Europa League final just three years ago.
And it’s going to take at least four or five transfer windows to fix the mess.
Let’s be blunt, Gers effectively tossed £20million down the drain during the summer.
Youssef Chermiti, Oliver Antman, Thelo Aasgaard, Oscar Cortes, Emmanuel Fernandez, Joe Rothwell, Bojan Miovski, Djeidi Gassama and Lyle Cameron were nine permanent signings brought in.
On current form, there’s not one good enough to be a first-team starter.
Throw in calamitous loan deals for Nasser Djiga, Max Aarons and Jayden Meghoma and the scale of the problem facing Rohl becomes clear.
The German has clearly improved results. But the performances — especially in Europe — have fallen way short of expectations.
The now departed Stewart and Thelwell were squirming in their seats as Roma brushed Rangers aside at the start of the month.
Not so long ago, Ibrox was a cauldron on Euro nights. More recently, the life and soul has been sucked out of the place.
On that memorable run to Seville in 2022, Braga were swept aside in the quarter-finals.
When they pitched back up in Glasgow this week, the Portuguese outfit could have been forgiven for thinking it was a different location.
You can’t blame the fans. They need something to cheer. The demise in quality — even from last season — is astonishing.
While domestic success eluded them, Gers still went toe-to-toe with Manchester United and Spurs. They drew with Olympiacos in Athens and beat Belgian side USG, both of them now Champions League teams.
Under Barry Ferguson, they beat Fenerbahce and gave a decent account of themselves against Athletic Bilbao in the last eight.
In January they held the longest unbeaten European away run in Scottish football.
Ten months on they went into Thursday’s clash against Braga on the back of their longest ever losing run. Player-for-player the squad is weaker. There’s not a single upgrade.
It’s amazing that Martin, Thelwell and Stewart lasted as long as they did.
Last Saturday a Livingston side which hadn’t won in the league since August were denied a stonewall Ibrox penalty at 1-1. Had they got it and scored, you wouldn’t have backed these Rangers players to turn it around.
Right now, you wouldn’t back them to beat anyone.
Gers face Falkirk at home tomorrow. Then come trips to Tannadice in midweek and Rugby Park, a ground they have struggled at in recent years.
But they cannot go to either with Fernandez and Djiga as their centre-back pairing.
The loss of John Souttar and Derek Cornelius is proving more damaging than first feared.
Both are out until the new year and Rohl has a dilemma in defence. James Tavernier could move in and cover, but the Gers boss clearly doesn’t trust Aarons at right-back.
He must find a quick solution to get to January unscathed before sending for reinforcements.
It will take something pretty special for that to happen.
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