Pressure is mounting on Rangers manager Derek McInnes following a difficult start to the season that has seen the Ibrox club exit the Europa League and struggle for consistent results, prompting former players and managers to weigh in on the club's direction.
Former Rangers defender Richard Foster acknowledged the club has endured a rough patch but urged supporters and the board to remain patient with McInnes, insisting the manager's fundamental qualities have not disappeared overnight.
"It's been tough. The level of performance is the thing that they're questioning but they're also not winning games, they're out of the Europa League," Foster said. "I do believe Derek is the right man. He's not become a bad manager in four games. I think he will get Rangers to a place this season where they're challenging for the league and the cup and they're playing good football and they're competitive. You've got to be patient."
The scrutiny facing McInnes comes despite a busy summer of transfer activity, with former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday questioning the club's recruitment process after a striking number of new arrivals failed to address several key positions. Halliday suggested that the way players are identified and signed at Ibrox needs a serious rethink.
"It should be a combination of the footballing department and Derek McInnes that sign the players," Halliday explained. "A recruitment team should always identify targets that fit the profile that the manager wants and then the manager should have the final say. If you've signed 27 players in a year, something's gone seriously, seriously wrong."
Despite the volume of incoming transfers, Halliday believes Rangers remain short in several crucial areas of the pitch. He pointed to the defence, midfield and wide areas as places requiring urgent investment, along with potentially another forward option depending on McInnes' preferred system.
"They need a starting right-back, a starting centre-half, a starting centre midfielder - which is unbelievable to say considering they've signed three in the summer - and I think they need another two wingers," Halliday said. "If Derek wants to continue with two strikers, they need another striker."
Former Hearts manager John Robertson echoed the sentiment that early-season pressure at a club of Rangers' stature is almost inevitable, but he stressed that time and resources are essential if McInnes is to reshape the squad into a cohesive unit capable of competing on multiple fronts.
"Everything is getting scrutinised. If you don't win your first few games, you're immediately under pressure. Derek McInnes is suddenly under pressure," Robertson said. "He has to be given time to build his team, put his stamp on it. He needs to sort out the spine of his team and that's going to take more money."
The comments from Foster, Halliday and Robertson reflect a broader debate around Ibrox regarding whether the club's struggles stem from managerial shortcomings or a disjointed recruitment strategy that has left McInnes without a settled spine to his team. With the Europa League already out of reach this season, attention now turns to whether the club will back its manager in the upcoming transfer windows to address the gaps identified by former players and pundits alike.
For now, McInnes finds himself under the microscope, tasked with steadying results while awaiting further backing to reshape a squad that, despite extensive turnover, still appears to lack balance in key areas according to those who know the club well.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.