At what point do we stop calling it bad luck and start calling it a pattern?
For the past three or four years, Rangers have been plagued by a relentless cycle of injuries that has derailed seasons, sidelined big-name signings, and burned through the wage bill with almost nothing to show in return.
This summer was supposed to mark a fresh start, with new San Francisco 49ers backed ownership, a modernised football department, and head coach Russell Martin brought in to lead a younger, fitter, stronger and hopefully hungrier squad.
But already, just weeks into pre-season, it feels all too familiar.
Rabbi Matondo, whose Rangers career has already flatlined, picked up a serious injury on Wales duty that now threatens to wreck any chance of a summer exit.
That’s more money stuck in the stands, more recruitment blocked, and more frustration for a fanbase tired of seeing the same names on the injury list.
Ridvan Yilmaz has joined him and long-term absentee Dujon Sterling there. Again.
The Turkish full-back has always had talent, but it’s been overshadowed by inconsistency and constant fitness concerns.
Now told this week that he can find a new club, Yilmaz will likely return to Besiktas having never fully convinced in a Rangers shirt. Sound familiar?
And just when it looked like the new regime might be breaking the cycle with smart, exciting signings like Thelo Aasgaard, he pulls up injured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic.
A thigh issue. Nothing too major, we’re told. But the timing couldn’t be worse with a Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos less than a week away.
This isn’t just misfortune. It’s a structural issue, one that spans multiple managers, medical teams, and sporting directors.
Whether it’s training load, conditioning standards, or simply poor recruitment choices when it comes to injury history, Rangers continue to be undermined by an inability to keep key players fit.
Russell Martin has talked about wanting a fitter, faster, more physical side. It’s essential.
Because what we’ve seen for too long is a squad that breaks down at the first sign of strain. The likes of Kemar Roofe, Danilo, Filip Helander, Matondo, Yilmaz, and others stretching back to Jordan Rossiter and Graham Dorrans have spent more time with the physios than on the pitch.
It’s a story Rangers fans are tired of reading.
With UEFA Champions League qualification on the line and Celtic starting to show signs of decline under Brendan Rodgers, Rangers simply cannot afford to let injuries derail another campaign.
This needs to be the season where the excuses stop, and the solutions start.
If Martin and the new hierarchy are serious about building a winning Rangers side, then solving the club’s injury curse must be a top priority.
Because until it is, it won’t matter who we sign or what system we play or what style we play it with, Rangers will continue to limp through seasons that should be defined by trophies, not treatment tables.