Rangers had howler with Ross McCrorie | OneFootball

Icon: Football FanCast

Football FanCast

·2 November 2021

Rangers had howler with Ross McCrorie

Article image:Rangers had howler with Ross McCrorie

Rangers continued their march towards a second successive Scottish Premiership title as they thrashed Motherwell 6-1 on Sunday.

Steven Gerrard’s side won the league last season without losing a single match, racking up 102 points, as they won 34 matches and were held to draws in the other four.


OneFootball Videos


It has not been quite as easy this term, but the Gers are top of the table after 12 games as they sit on 12 points. They have won eight, drawn three, lost one and are four points clear of second-placed Celtic.

Despite all of this success, Gerrard has also had bad moments in charge at Ibrox and a few of them have come in the transfer market. One piece of business that they may look back on with regret is the sale of Ross McCrorie to Aberdeen in February earlier this year.

Were Rangers right to sell McCrorie?

Yes

Article image:Rangers had howler with Ross McCrorie

Vote

No

Article image:Rangers had howler with Ross McCrorie

Vote

After coming up through the ranks and heading out on several loans away from Rangers, McCrorie was sold to the Dons in February for a reported fee of £203k. He made 55 appearances for the Gers before his exit but only made 17 league appearances in each of his two senior seasons respectively.

Former Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes once lauded the midfielder and explained that he did not want to be a bit-part player, saying:

“I think he’s a dream on and off the pitch.

“He is different. He didn’t want to be in the shadows, he didn’t just want to be a Rangers squad player, he wanted to get out and get on with his career, and I love that about him.

“He deserves a lot of credit for that, because I know Rangers see qualities in him, but the fact Ross was in such a hurry to get on and get out is testament to him.

“His athleticism gets him out of trouble, his brain gets him out of trouble, gets him into positions. Having Ross’s power and intelligence in there allows us to play with one or two more attacking players.”

1 of 10

Article image:Rangers had howler with Ross McCrorie

How well do you know Morelos? First... who did he score his 100th goal against?

St Mirren Aberdeen Hearts Hibernian

This season, McCrorie has started ten Premiership games for Aberdeen and caught the eye with some impressive performances. Per SofaScore, he has made 2.9 tackles and interceptions per game and won an eye-catching 67% of his duels overall, whilst also making 3.2 clearances per game.

At the time of writing (01/11/21), Transfermarkt value him at £900k. This is £697k more than what Rangers sold him for in February, which is why Gerrard may regret cashing in on him.

Steven Davis, meanwhile, for Rangers has not performed as well on the defensive side of the game. Per SofaScore, he has made 2.1 tackles and interceptions and 1.0 clearances per game, whilst only winning 46% of his duels. This suggests that McCrorie is a superior midfielder in terms of the defensive game.

Therefore, he could have been a great option for Gerrard to call upon in games, particularly in the Europa League for example, where they are not expected to dominate the ball. McCrorie has shown that he can excel at the physical side of the game and that could have been a useful asset for the Gers, which – coupled with the poor financial aspect of the deal – is why his sale was a howler from the club.

View publisher imprint