No more excuses. Rangers must beat Hearts | OneFootball

The world has certainly changed since 2007. Ibrox Noise would not deny that. We have discussed 2007 more than a few times on this site. There is relevance to the present day. It is a barometer of measurement we have used many times before. Consequently, regarding this piece, it affects this weekend.

Why this weekend matters

If Rangers beat Hearts, we get massive three points in Edinburgh on Sunday. Then many fans might believe we have a title fist in us. Ibrox Noise is actually one of those, surprisingly, as well.

However, if we lose and do not get that victory, especially if we are defeated, things change. The number of fans shouting look what he inherited will return. That nonsense will again defend Danny Rohl.

That excuse has plagued Rangers fans when things go wrong under Rohl. We do not buy it. This is where the 2007 reference comes in.

The 2007 comparison

The simple fact is Walter Smith took an absolutely horrible PLG squad. The 2006 summer work by the former French manager was atrocious.

Letizi was in goal. Julian Rodriguez played in defence. Karl Svensson was beside him. Jeremy Clement played in midfield. We had the atrocity of Sebo up front.

The team was littered with absolute garbage. It was a terrible team. It had one or two decent Scottish players, such as Chris Boyd. Overall, it was a horrible squad.

It was not much better than the mess we have now. Let us be realistic. We do have some good players now. We have some theoretically decent players too.

Raskin is one. Antman is another. Moore is there as well. Even Djiga is included, despite fan frustration. Butland in goal matters too.

There is talent in the squad. There is also a lot of chafe. We do not deny that. That is where our point comes in.

What Walter Smith proved

Walter came in during 2007. He signed just three players in that window. He signed David Weir. He signed Ugo Ehiogu. He signed Kevin Thomson.

Overnight, Rangers became the best team in Scotland. We won the second half of that season by a single point.

Gordon Strachan and Celtic were still miles ahead overall. We could not close the gap enough. However, we were the best team in Scotland then.

That was Walter Smith’s impact with just three signings. Three. That cost £2 million in that January window.

This is why we reject the excuse of look what he inherited.

No more excuses

Of course, Rohl will get January. He can then impact the squad. However, any good manager can improve a desperately poor squad.

We are tired of hearing look what he inherited after every bad result. When results are good, fans praise the man. When results are bad, excuses appear.

You cannot have it both ways. You cannot call him the saviour, then excuse failure.

Walter did not need excuses. Alec McLeish did not need excuses either. They knew what they were doing.

Both turned this club around in massive ways. They did it with minimal budgets.

The Hearts test

The reality is simple. Rohl needs to win. Rangers need to win.

We must quit these excuses. They are getting downright boring.

This is not saying we think Rohl is wrong for the job. We are softer on that now.

Six wins from eight is progress. League form shows improvement. That is a clear tick up.

But winning at Hearts is huge. We do not want excuses if we lose.