Leon Balogun perfectly sums up Rangers rotten defeat v Birmingham City
Rangers continued their dismal pre-season preparations after facing a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City on Wednesday (24 July).
While fans were furious with the first-half display, few were surprised as Birmingham took the lead through James Tavernier’s ninth-minute own goal before Alfie May doubled the lead.
Scott Wright halved the deficit, combining well with Cyriel Dessers to power home with a half-volley, but it was too little too late as the Gers were condemned to their third consecutive friendly defeat.
Although the Blues have invested very well after being relegated to League One last season, a team battling for the Scottish Premiership title and European football should not be staring down the barrel of defeat in such a manner.
Speaking to RangersTV, quoted by Football Scotland on Thursday (25 July), Leon Balogun summed up perfectly exactly how the passionate fanbase is currently feeling after losses to Ajax, Manchester United and Birmingham.
“If we come here and we play the way we played in the first half then you seriously have to question yourself,” he said, “I don’t want to get into panic mode or anything, but that’s just a very honest assessment, there’s not much to say other than it was not good enough. I think in my second half we showed a bit more but still…
“We can say Birmingham are a good side, they got relegated, I don’t really care because when you play for Rangers you can’t present yourself like that. That’s just plain and simple.
“It’s just after the final whistle, so I’m quite mad right now but I’m pretty sure there will be good things from the second half, even though right now this is hard to imagine.”
Leon Balogun hits nail on the head after Rangers defeat v Birmingham City
Balogun’s honest comments show exactly why the 36-year-old was handed a one-year extension at Ibrox, bringing some much-needed wisdom and calmness to Philippe Clement’s squad [Daily Mail].
Clement is in the process of rebuilding the Gers squad, one that was left to him by Michael Beale after being appointed in October, and the players still need time to bond.
While fans will appreciate that a lot of new faces have arrived at Ibrox this summer, the performances will certainly be a concern after missing out on another Scottish Premiership title to Old Firm rivals Celtic last term.
Despite lifting the League Cup, and getting out of the Europa League group stage, fans were still left disappointed after missing out on the league title and the Scottish Cup to the Hoops
The Light Blues also have Champions League qualification matches on the horizon, and if they are to be successful in multiple competitions next season, they must improve against Union Berlin in their next pre-season friendly.
In other Rangers news, Lawrence Shankland is expected to pay for himself 10 times over in a lottery win for the Gers.
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