John Park goes off the rails at Rangers as Ibrox recruitment torn to shreds
Rangers’ recruitment has fallen “off the rails” in recent years after the new summer signings’ failures this season, according to Michael Gannon.
Writing in the print edition of Sunday Mail (8 October, pg 58), Gannon singled out senior Rangers scout John Park’s efforts at the club after the former Celtic scout moved to Ibrox from Blackburn Rovers.
Gannon claimed none of the new summer signings, with the exception of Jack Butland and loanee Abdallah Sima, have done enough to show they can cut it for the Gers.
Gannon wrote: “John Park was drafted in during 2022 and had a track record for finding cheap gems when at Celtic – but it’s gone off the rails somewhat in recent years.
“Rangers brought in nine new players this summer and only Jack Butland and perhaps Abdallah Sima look anyway equipped to handle life at Ibrox.”
Something’s not right
The summer recruits could end up proving their worth under the guidance of a new manager, but indications so far are not reassuring for anyone involved with the club.
Gannon is quick to praise Butland, who is seemingly universally exempt from criticism after his start to life in Scotland, but Sima too has become a game-changing body in the squad. While Rangers would wish they’d signed the Brighton loanee permanently, the likes of Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers are yet to justify their price tag.
However, something clearly was not right this season as recruitment has been an issue for all aspects of the club. As per Sky Sports (5 July 2022), Park was responsible for identifying the players including Virgil van Dijk, Fraser Foster, Victor Wanyama and Moussa Dembele during his Celtic Park stint, so has genuine pedigree in this field.
In John’s and Michael Beale’s defence, their recruitment was cheap with Danilo’s £6million move from Feyenoord the biggest hit on the Gers’ finances.
However, it’s the level of talent that has let the club down, and a new manager will have a tough task in getting them to play well together if they want to salvage any success from this season. The squad saw a high change of personnel and it is understandable that not all the players have gelled yet, especially considering the environment at Ibrox.
However, expectations at Rangers mean points need to be won from the off and this non-negotiable was broken from day one.
In other Rangers news, Michael Stewart has made a “bigger club” verdict on Celtic and the Gers.