NafisaRangers’ European nightmare has left Derek McInnes and his players facing a furious reaction from supporters, but Chris Sutton has offered a surprisingly sympathetic assessment of the latest Old Firm disaster.
The Light Blues were dumped out of the Conference League qualifying campaign by Jablonec on penalties on Thursday night, bringing their European hopes to an abrupt end before the league phase had even begun.
Rangers travelled to the Czech Republic holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg at Ibrox. However, they produced a desperately poor attacking display, failed to create a clear-cut opportunity and eventually lost 1-0 on the night.
With the aggregate score level, the tie went to penalties, where Jablonec held their nerve to send McInnes’ side crashing out of Europe altogether.
It means Rangers will now have no European football to look forward to this season, despite another summer of significant investment and expectations that the club would make meaningful progress under their new manager.
For travelling supporters who made the journey to Czechia, the manner of the performance made the elimination even harder to accept.
Sutton delivers surprising Rangers verdict:
Rangers are now facing serious questions over the direction of the club, with McInnes under growing scrutiny after such a disappointing start to his reign.
The defeat also comes just days after Celtic suffered their own European embarrassment, throwing away a four-goal aggregate advantage against LASK and crashing out of Champions League qualifying after a stunning 5-1 defeat in Austria.
Motherwell also saw their European campaign end on Thursday after losing to Freiburg, while Hearts remain Scotland’s only representative in the Conference League.
Sutton believes the Old Firm have both endured a miserable week, rather than Rangers being alone in the spotlight.
Taking to X after Rangers’ defeat, the former Celtic striker wrote: “Sad week bad week for Rangers and Celtic … as bad as each other.”
It was a remarkably sympathetic assessment from Sutton, particularly given his long history of outspoken criticism of Rangers.
However, his comparison highlights just how damaging the last few days have been for Scottish football’s biggest clubs.
Rangers’ European exit is still a massive blow:
While Sutton may have grouped the two clubs together, Rangers supporters will feel there is a significant difference between the situations at Ibrox and Parkhead.
Celtic’s collapse against LASK was undoubtedly humiliating, particularly after Martin O’Neill’s side had established a 4-0 aggregate advantage.
But Celtic remain in European competition and will now compete in the Europa League.
Rangers, meanwhile, have no continental football whatsoever.
That makes Thursday’s result particularly damaging given the money invested in the squad and the importance placed on qualifying for Europe.
The Light Blues had two opportunities to secure a route into the European league phase, but both have now disappeared.
The first setback came against Panathinaikos in Champions League qualifying, before Jablonec delivered the final blow in the Conference League.
For a club that has spent heavily during the summer, failing to reach any European league phase represents a major disappointment.
McInnes now has to find answers quickly:
The pressure on McInnes will inevitably increase after the latest setback.
The Rangers boss has only been in charge for a relatively short period, but Thursday’s performance offered supporters very little encouragement.
Rangers did not simply lose a close contest against Jablonec. They struggled to create anything of note despite knowing that a goal would have put them in an extremely strong position.
The failure to find a breakthrough ultimately forced the game into a penalty shootout, and Rangers paid the price.
The result also puts even greater importance on the domestic campaign.
With European football now gone, McInnes has far fewer opportunities to build momentum and prove that his project at Ibrox is heading in the right direction.
The Scottish Premiership and domestic cups are now the only competitions available to Rangers this season.
And the next few weeks could become hugely important.
Rangers cannot afford another setback:
The timing of the European elimination could hardly be worse, with Rangers now having to turn their attention completely towards domestic football.
Aberdeen await on Sunday, and the match suddenly carries enormous significance.
After the disappointment in Czechia, Rangers need an immediate response.
The squad has been heavily backed, expectations remain enormous and supporters will expect McInnes to show that Thursday’s disaster was a setback rather than a sign of deeper problems.
Sutton may believe Celtic and Rangers have been “as bad as each other” during a miserable week for the Old Firm.
But for Rangers, there is now no European distraction to hide behind.
McInnes and his players have to deliver domestically — and they have to start doing it very quickly.
Nafisa
