A new season means a different set of conundrums for Ally McCoist.
The Rangers manager spent last summer pulling a team together from the chaos of the liquidation of Rangers Football Club plc and before a registration embargo began. Now, he has more new signings to integrate, a squad to trim, and decisions to make about which of the arrivals to play as trialists in the coming weeks, since they will only officially become Rangers players on September 1, when the registration embargo ends. A routine pre-season must seem like a luxury.
Last week, McCoist defended aspects of the last campaign. On occasion, his team performed timidly, drawing criticism from their own fans, while the full-time status of the players did not seem to convey the fitness advantage that was expected against part-time opponents. Rangers ought to be better prepared this time around. It is progress that the manager can field his team in pre-season matches.
They begin today when Brora Rangers host McCoist's side, who also face Elgin City three days later. It is in these matches, and the training sessions in between, that McCoist will begin to form his plans. Up to six players are likely to leave and the search continues for two centre-backs and possibly a back-up goalkeeper to add to seven players who have already joined.
Trialists can play in competitive games but the number per match, and the number of times each can feature is limited. Cammy Bell, for instance, is first-choice goalkeeper, but Scott Gallacher will need to turn out in the opening games of the season. Brora Rangers will constitute a test, with former SPL players Ross Tokely, Stuart Golabek and Richie Hart in their squad. For McCoist, it is the first of a series of challenges.
Richard Wilson
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