Yesterday saw this season finally come to an end. A year without a trophy is unacceptable at Ibrox but there was only so much the manager could do in six months with a team that wasn’t his. There have been some encouraging signs, specifically the improvement in Old Firm performances, but also some negatives which have came to light. Here are five key takeaways from the month of May;
There may be life in John Lundstram yet.
Since the Scottish Cup Semi-Final he has been excellent. As long as he isn’t the deepest lying midfielder he’s looked like the player of last season at times.
He excels at breaking up the play and driving forward with the ball, playing as the number 8 allows him to do that. He has terrific technique with his passing and shooting, which Todd Cantwell took advantage of against Celtic at Ibrox when he turned in the rebound from an excellent Lundstram shot.
He’s coming into the last year of his deal and before this month, many fans thought his team at Ibrox was over. Have his recent performances saved his Rangers career and changed your mind?
The brilliance of Ridvan Yilmaz.
The young Turkish left back has had lots of praise recently, and deservedly so! He has been superb since coming back into the team and should have secured that left back slot for himself with his recent performances.
The biggest difference between him and Barasic is the defensive ability. Ridvan was left isolated against Abada, he fancied himself in those one on one situations and came out on top. He even matched the winger for pace!
He gives a positivity that Barasic lacks at times and is much more comfortable driving forward with the ball at his feet. His passing ability is excellent and he excels at passing through the lines.
The one thing Barisic does have over him, for now, is his crossing ability. Compared to his passing, Ridvan’s crossing can be very hit and miss but that will improve with fitness and game time.
At the start of next season he should 100% be the clubs starting left back, he’s earned it.
Todd Cantwell is outstanding.
Upon his signing Rangers fans were hoping he could regain the form that led to him being linked to £30m + moves in the EPL. He’s exceeded everyone’s expectations and has been Rangers best player since January.
His ability on the ball has always been his strengths but his off the ball work for Rangers has been excellent. There was an opinion before his arrival that he would be a luxury player who wouldn’t graft off of the ball. He reality is, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
He’s had multiple MOTM awards, 10 goal contributions in 16 SPFL appearances and won the heart of the Rangers faithful. He’s been the star man since coming in and it’s incredibly exciting to think how good he’ll be next season.
Leon King will be just fine.
The youngster was thrust into the team at the beginning of the season due to injury and struggled at times. He showed he had potential but definitely wasn’t ready for that much first team football. To be fair to him, he was only 18-years-old at the time.
Michael Beale said he hadn’t been in the team because he had, had the kind of minutes he’d have been expecting over the whole season in such a short space of time. He was given the protection that he couldn’t be afforded earlier in the year.
He came back into the team away at Easter Road and was excellent next to John Souttar. He defended well and used the ball superbly, his long passing has been a particular highlight over the last couple of games.
He struggled once or twice against the pace of Josh Ginnelly against Hearts but sorted that out come the second half of the game. He’s still only 19 but in those two starts he’s shown he has what it takes to become a starting Rangers centre back in the future.
Glen Kamara’s Rangers career should be over.
He’s another player who was well off the boil this season. Fans have seen what he’s capable of in big European ties and OF games but he hasn’t been at it, at all this year.
His appearance against Hearts shocked many fans and he wasn’t expected to start. He’ll wish he never as his ‘performance’ was an embarrassment. He strolled around the pitch not putting in much effort on the attacking or defensive end.
He went into tackles half heartedly and their were times it felt like Rangers were playing with ten men. He’s been a shadow of his former self and he definitely needs a fresh start for the sake of his career.
Thanks for the good times Glen and goodbye.
Are there any other points you’ve taken from the last month of the season?