Rangers‘ season to date is fast becoming the sort of subject matter which would lend itself to a university thesis.
Any bright spark who comes up with the answers to a conundrum which is baffling the most seasoned football observers may suddenly find themselves in high demand.
Frankly, most have now given up trying to rationalise what we’re witnessing.
Under Philippe Clement, the team were capable of defeating Malmo, FCSB, Nice and Union Saint-Gilloise. They took points from Olympiakos and Tottenham and were unfortunate not to pinch one at Old Trafford.
Having earned their spot in the top-eight of the revamped Europa League, Barry Ferguson took them to Turkey and defeated Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce 3-1 to plant one foot in the last eight.
On this evidence, Rangers are an accomplished European side who come to life under the lights against stellar continental opponents. You would not be in the least bit surprised if they are in Bilbao to contest the final at the end of this campaign.
Cyriel Dessers leaps for joy after making it 1-0 for Rangers against Fenerbahce in Istanbul
The Ibrox men took Jose Mourinho’s side by surprise when Dessers scored in sixth minute
Dessers has come in for some criticism but he was the fans’ darling on Thursday night
So, how do you even begin to explain the metamorphosis which sees the same team routinely turn in dismal displays domestically?
It’s unfathomable. Nothing better sums up what a mad and absurd game football can be than these wild oscillations in performances and results.
Just to recap, last Saturday Rangers were comprehensively beaten at home by Motherwell. Lacking any semblance of belief or cohesion, they lost poor goals, failed to do any of the basics and, by the end of the weekend, were sitting 16 points behind Celtic having already dropped 28 points in 29 games.
The same scenario played out a week previously as they wilted against St Mirren at Ibrox. A fortnight prior to that, Queen’s Park of the Championship left the same venue victorious having caused one of the greatest Scottish Cup upsets of all time.
If Rangers had a domestic fixture this weekend, you wouldn’t put tuppence on them prevailing. Line up a big European name, though, and the chances are they’ll give them a bloody nose.
Jekyll and Hyde simply doesn’t cover it. Logic left the building long ago.
No player personifies this dichotomy more than Cyriel Dessers. Guilty of an appalling blunder as Motherwell took the lead a week ago, he had the game of his life in Istanbul on Thursday, scoring, assisting and only being denied a hat-trick by the finest of margins.
Amid the satisfaction he derived from ensuring Ferguson’s side are in the box seat ahead of the return leg, the forward acknowledged that the latest excellent European display underscored how unacceptable so many domestic shows have been.
The events in Turkey were a far cry from Rangers’ Scottish Cup exit at hands of Queen’s Park
Dessers reacts to a missed chance during that cup shocker against the Championship side
The misery was almost forgotten as Dessers and Cerny celebrated their Euro heroics
‘We have been a team of ups and downs, especially in the league, but I think in Europe we showed very consistent form,’ he said.
‘Sometimes it is hard to explain, but I think the football in Europe suits us a little bit more at this moment. We have to take confidence from this and try to find the consistency and try to do that in the league.
‘You can say a lot about our team in terms of games that we played this season or in the last weeks. But we can bounce back, that’s for sure.
‘We showed that again on Thursday night. Obviously, we would love to show this level as well in the league.
‘But you have to realise that these are different games, different styles of play for us as well.’
Irrespective of the calibre of opposition, a team’s attitude from the first whistle will determine so much.
Slow starts were a feature of Clement’s final days in charge. Ferguson witnessed another one as he took temporary charge at Kilmarnock, then saw a familiar pattern unfold last weekend.
Yet, what was largely the same group of players mended their ways against Mourinho’s side. They came flying out of the traps and got their noses in front when Dessers struck on six minutes.
Winger Cerny screams with joy on a night when he shot down the Turkish side with a double
Czech star Cerny made a superb job of putting Rangers 2-1 up in the first-leg clash
Cerny proved equally lethal again when he gave the visitors a decisive 3-1 lead in Turkey
Even when the Turks equalised, the visitors’ tempo and attitude didn’t change.
‘Obviously we spoke about the last two games where we had a slow start,’ added Dessers. ‘We wanted to avoid that again, especially in this atmosphere.
‘He (Ferguson) gave a good motivation speech about a fast start and we did that. We were lucky to get the first goal and then you can quieten the place a little bit and you can find your feet in the game.’
Rangers showed everything that Ferguson would have demanded. Brave on the ball, they played with zest and intelligence. When possession was turned over, they burst a gut to fill spaces and make blocks.
It was about as far removed from those atrocious recent shows on home soil as you could possibly imagine.
Privately, the Ibrox club would have taken a narrow defeat before the game. A 3-1 win was beyond their wildest imaginings.
It said much, though, that there was just a trace of regret the scoreline wasn’t even more emphatic.
One more goal would have surely done for Fenerbahce. Had it not been for two extremely tight offside calls inside seven second-half minutes, Dessers would have provided it.
‘I just saw the images,’ said the forward. ‘The first goal, I think if you want to look for an offside you will find it. I don’t think the line is 100 per cent correct but, okay, everybody tried to do their job. The second one is just half a foot, which hurts.
‘But that’s me, that’s my style of play. I’m a striker that always tries to make the runs in the depth and try to play on the edge. Sometimes it works, sometimes it will be just slightly offside.’
It was to Rangers’ credit that those moments didn’t flummox them. Vaclav Cerny’s late breakaway goal came after they showed impressive resilience. That may prove to be invaluable in the final reckoning.
Cerny gives the thumbs up after a famous victory for Rangers in the Europa League
Interim Rangers boss Barry Ferguson punches the air with delight after team’s 3-1 win
Jose Mourinho was unhappy with his team’s display but warned Rangers the tie is not over
‘You feel it in the stadium where there are two times a disallowed goal,’ Dessers reflected.
‘You feel like it gives them energy, the fans, the team. But we handled it pretty well. We stayed calm, we kept our composure, our discipline.
‘It was an amazing night. If you can win with this result away at Fenerbahce, it’s a very good step. We’re looking at next week.’
It’s funny how football can go at times. By dint of that atrocious loss to Queen’s Park in the cup, Rangers have a free weekend.
The extra time to rest up and prepare for the return leg might just prove to be significant in a season which is simply impossible to get a handle on.
‘I would have preferred to play in the cup, so you just stay in the rhythm,’ Dessers insisted.
‘We’re used to playing two games a week, but let’s hope we can use this freshness next week.
‘We have two tough games next week. We will need all the energy, but we will need to fly against them.’
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