Ally McCoist has delivered a sobering assessment of Rangers 1–1 draw with Braga in the UEFA Europa League at Ibrox, warning that the current squad may simply not be capable of reaching the standards required to take the club forward.
The Rangers legend and record goal scorer, normally upbeat in his punditry, admitted he feels increasingly uncomfortable sounding the same warning after each European outing.
McCoist insisted he takes no pleasure in criticising the club he served with such distinction for 15 years, but the nature of the performance, and the dropped points yet again, left him deeply concerned.
“I feel like Doctor Doom every time I come on here,” he said, half-laughing, half-defeated.
“And I don’t want to be. I genuinely don’t.
“But that’s a game Rangers should have won - and would have won a couple of seasons ago.”
Rangers were again guilty of starting slowly, again guilty of switching off at a key moment, and again guilty of leaving a winnable European match behind.
While McCoist acknowledged that the club itself appears to be moving in the right direction off the park, he believes the on-pitch reality paints a far more troubling picture.
“My concern is, and it’s a big concern, is that I’m not sure this team is capable of a lot better than that,” he admitted.
“I hope I’m wrong. Honestly, I really, really hope I’m wrong. But I’m not convinced these individuals, or the team collectively, can get to the level Rangers want to be at.”
Defensive errors, he said, continue to haunt Rangers at the worst possible moments. Braga’s goal was the latest addition to a long list of self-inflicted wounds – in particular defender Nasser Djiga’s horror mistake for the equaliser.
“You can’t make mistakes like that,” McCoist said bluntly.
“It’s really poor defending. At this level, you get punished every single time.”
The frustration was amplified by the context: Rangers played most of the second half with the numerical advantage after Braga went down to ten men.
Yet rather than overwhelm the Portuguese side, Rangers drifted, lacking conviction and clarity in the final third.
McCoist was keen to emphasise that this is not a matter of effort or commitment. Instead, it is about quality - individually, collectively, structurally.
“Yes, they can do selective things better,” he said,
“but I’m not sure this group can take Rangers to the next level.
“Time will tell, but there is an awful lot of work to be done.”
For supporters seeking reassurance, McCoist’s words may not provide it.
But they reflect an emerging truth: this Rangers team faces a long, uncertain road back to the levels expected at Ibrox.