Rangers are facing a major squad shake-up following their humiliating exit from the UEFA Conference League, with pressure mounting on several players whose futures at Ibrox are now uncertain.
The Light Blues suffered another painful European setback on Thursday night after losing to Jablonec on penalties. Rangers travelled to the Czech Republic holding a narrow 1-0 advantage from the first leg, but they produced a deeply disappointing performance, losing 1-0 in normal time before eventually going down 4-3 in the shootout.
The result means Rangers will have no European football beyond August for the first time since 2017, adding another layer of frustration to an already difficult start under Derek McInnes. The manager admitted afterwards that he was “mortified” by what he had witnessed and accepted responsibility for the failure.
Now attention has quickly turned towards the squad.
While there has been widespread speculation that Rangers could make significant changes before the transfer window closes, reports claiming that the club has formally announced three players who will never play again unless they leave should be treated cautiously unless an official Rangers statement confirms those names.
Nevertheless, the message from the club’s disappointing European campaign is clear: some players are now fighting for their futures.
Rangers have already invested heavily in rebuilding the squad, but the early results have failed to match expectations. The team has struggled to find consistency, creativity and attacking threat, while the defeat to Jablonec exposed many of the same problems that had appeared during the Europa League qualifying defeat by Jagiellonia Bialystok earlier this month. Rangers were knocked out of that competition after losing 3-2 on aggregate.
The Conference League represented another opportunity to salvage European football, but Rangers failed to take it.
After taking the lead in the first leg, McInnes expected his team to control the return fixture. Instead, Jablonec gradually grew into the match and eventually found the breakthrough through Vakhtang Tchanturishvili in the second half.
Rangers were unable to respond during extra time, leaving the tie to be decided from twelve yards. Findlay Curtis and James Penrice missed their penalties, allowing Jablonec to complete a famous victory.
The consequences could be significant.
Without European football, Rangers have lost the opportunity to generate additional revenue from the group stages, while the pressure on the players and coaching staff has increased dramatically. The club now needs to focus entirely on domestic competition and rebuilding confidence.
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday was among those to launch a furious assessment of the performance, describing what he saw as barely recognisable as football.
That criticism reflects the growing frustration among supporters.
For Rangers fans, the issue is not simply that the club lost. It is the manner of the defeat. Holding a first-leg advantage against a team they were expected to overcome, Rangers appeared short of ideas and struggled to create enough clear opportunities.
McInnes acknowledged that the performance was nowhere near the required standard. His admission that the team was “miles short” has only intensified the debate about which players are capable of carrying the club forward.
That is why the coming days could prove crucial.
If Rangers decide to accelerate their squad overhaul, several players could find themselves pushed towards the exit door. The manager will have to determine who can respond to the pressure and who should be moved on as he attempts to create a team capable of challenging domestically.
The club has already been linked with further recruitment, including the arrival of striker Kevin Kelsy in a deal worth around £9.5 million. Rangers are clearly attempting to strengthen their attack after a difficult start to the campaign.
For now, however, the immediate priority is damage control.
The Conference League humiliation has left Rangers with nowhere to hide. There is no European campaign to distract from domestic problems, and every performance from this point forward will be judged against the expectation of a club of Rangers’ size.
Whether three players are genuinely told that their Rangers careers are over remains to be officially confirmed. But one thing is becoming increasingly obvious: the Jablonec defeat has changed the atmosphere around Ibrox, and significant changes to the squad may now be unavoidable.