GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JULY 18: A general view during the pre-season friendly match between Rangers and Newcastle at Ibrox Stadium on July 18, 2023 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
And now that the conclusion is drawing nigh, Rangers vs. Dundee is the penultimate game at Ibrox.
Though tickets weren’t too hard to get, a hostile audience might be waiting for a match in which Philippe Clement hopes to salvage something from the season other than winning the Viaplay Cup.
The Rangers fans were all expressing the same thing in advance of what would be a challenging evening due to the team’s unknown lineup and extensive injury list.
When Philippe Clement announces an unexpected Rangers XI, fans respond.
In recent weeks, the manager’s frustration has escalated as he has dealt with a team that is about as resilient as a digestive biscuit that has been underwater for longer than a few seconds.
Players who have been a regular fixture this season have joined the normal visitors to the treatment room, making the team appear as though they are playing in a preseason friendly.
Strangely enough, though, Rangers supporters will witness the youngest and most vibrant lineup of the season.
Returning for his first start of the year, Leon King, 20, may be considering a loan move if Philippe Clement adds more central defenders.
Nicolas Raskin also has a chance to impress and prove to the gaffer that he can be trusted to marshal the midfield.
It is the engine room where fans are united in their praise of the selection, even if it has come a little too late.
Rangers must give their supporters some hope.
At this point in the season, three points aren’t all that matters, and the supporters of the team deserve more than just a token show of support.
Even though it may be too little, too late, the players must demonstrate that there is still hope and that those who return for the following season can have an impact.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the players who had been in their places, guys like Ross McCausland and Raskin have a genuine chance to battle for a starting spot in the Scottish Cup final over the course of the next few games.
