Ally McCoist reveals bigger worry as Rangers and Celtic Champions League flops no surprise
Rangers losing badly at Celtic is of more concern than the Old Firm pair’s failures in the Champions League this season says Ally McCoist.
The Light Blues matched their Glasgow rivals’ in finishing bottom of their group on the continent after a sixth loss out of six against Ajax at Ibrox on Tuesday night (1 November), but went one better in recording the worst Champions League group stage campaign in the competition’s history.
However, considering the level at the top in Europe McCoist isn’t surprised both teams came last in their groups, and from a Rangers perspective he is much more worried by the capitulations at Parkhead in the past two seasons, and a failure on the recruitment front.
Speaking on talkSPORT on Wednesday morning (2 November), as per the Daily Record he said: “Recruitment from Rangers has not been good at all. You lose [Calvin] Bassey to Ajax, you lose [Joe] Aribo to Southampton, you lose [Nathan] Patterson to Everton, you lose [Leon] Balogun – who for some reason wasn’t offered a contract – to QPR, you lose your best centre-half through injury.
“You end up playing against Ajax in the Champions League with a young kid at centre-back accompanied by a midfielder on loan. You have no chance, absolutely no chance.
“A bigger concern for me would be Rangers’ level of performance at Celtic Park in a couple of league games.
“The results in the Champions League have disappointed me, one or two of them have shocked me, but I’m not overly concerned or surprised both teams have finished bottom of the group.”
Valid
The limp showing in Europe this season isn’t good enough, despite the injuries and despite the level of opposition, and had Giovanni van Bronckhorst showed the same defeatist attitude last year then the club would probably have been knocked out of the Europa League by Dortmund, let alone made the final.
But plenty has been made of the gulf in financial power, and quality, between the top of the Scottish game and European powers.
In some cases it can be argued that too much has been made of that, but if Liverpool, in three of the last five Champions League finals, can be thrashed by Napoli, then it is a tall task to send Rangers out against either of them expecting a win.
But since winning 2-0 at Celtic Park during the championship season the club haven’t come out on top in an away Old Firm game once, scoring just twice along the way.
The 3-0 capitulation in van Bronckhorst’s first derby as manager last year was alarming, but after redressing the balance slightly with the Scottish Cup semi-final win later in the campaign it was even worse to get hammered 4-0 in the same fixture this year.
European success should be a goal for a club of this size, but currently it has to be seen as a bonus, while fighting for the league title is compulsory.
Since finally wrestling Scottish dominance back under Steven Gerrard the club have added only Antonio Colak, John Lundstram, and arguably Fashion Sakala as useful options.
The jury is out on some others, while injuries have got in the way, but to lose the list of players McCoist cited, plus Jermain Defoe retiring, and the likes of Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos apparently meandering to underwhelming free transfer exits, that is not enough.
Domestically the Gers feel like they are fighting a losing battle at the moment, and their former striker is spot on that it is a bigger issue, despite the eye-catching nature of the European nightmare that has just ended.
In other Rangers news, one pundit was having the time of his life in bellowing over the airwaves about how the club were the “worst ever” after Ajax.