It would be prudent for Rangers supporters not to be seduced by events at Ibrox on Thursday evening. In the venue’s long and rich European history, few teams can have looked as inadequate as FCSB. The Romanian side arrived in Glasgow with a sense of crisis swirling around them and left with questions regarding their suitability to feature in the Europa League at all.
Their contribution to the fixture was disgraceful. In ordinary circumstances, Philippe Clement would now be facing a crucial eight-day spell in his Rangers tenure. His side were offered hope by Celtic dropping two points against Aberdeen last Saturday but the following day in the kind of disjointed and listless fashion that sums up all but one of their recent seasons.
St Mirren and Hearts now visit Ibrox, either side of a trip to Pittodrie, for which Aberdeen should be the favourites. Joy in Europe – Rangers have also defeated Malmö, who were almost as staggeringly awful as FCSB – fails to mask domestic stumbles and the sense Clement will prove incapable of moving Rangers forward, 12 months after he succeeded Michael Beale. Clement’s jam tomorrow approach has failed to convince the masses.
Punters must be starkly aware that European football has suited Rangers for years, while players and coaches have been paralysed by expectation in Scotland. Clement is protected by background dysfunction. The manager’s August signing of a contract until the summer of 2028 should not prove prohibitive should Rangers .