Joe Rothwell has been a predictable flop at Rangers | OneFootball

Rangers supporters can see the truth about Joe Rothwell already. The club hyped him as a coup, fans online raved about him being brilliant at Leeds, and his signing was presented as another masterstroke. But this was one Ibrox Noise was on record as not wanting, and sadly our doubts have proven correct. The key issue is clear. Rothwell has turned out to be yet another EFL-level player completely out of his depth in a Rangers shirt. Red face Rothwell is struggling at Rangers.

Noise

The midfielder arrived with noise about set piece quality and energy. He was meant to bring a level of experience that would settle a chaotic midfield. Instead supporters have watched him stumble around Ibrox, looking lost against even modest opposition. The promise of creativity has collapsed into misplaced passes and poor touches, as Sky Sports had claimed this was a player ready to shine.

Worse still, Rothwell has earned a new unwanted nickname. Supporters are now calling him Red face Rothwell. After barely 50 minutes of football he looks completely spent, gasping for air and puffing out his cheeks as if he had run a marathon. This is Rangers, not Bournemouth or Blackburn, and the standard is unforgiving. Fans are not buying excuses about fitness, and Ibrox Noise was never convinced by this deal to begin with.

EFL

The situation highlights a deeper problem with recruitment. Rangers wasted precious funds once again on players who are simply not good enough. The club has thrown millions into the English lower leagues and presented those arrivals as upgrades. They are not, and Rothwell reflects that flawed strategy. He looked serviceable in the Championship, but this stage demands far more, something Ibrox Noise warned would happen when his name first emerged.

Rangers needed a midfielder who could grab games, dictate tempo, and provide a winning mentality. Instead they got another patchwork signing who cannot meet the standard. The warning signs were there. Rothwell never stood out at the highest level, and when Leeds borrowed him he had flashes but no sustained impact. Fans who celebrated that period overlooked the bigger picture, and now reality has hit hard.

The fact is simple. Rangers cannot afford passengers in midfield, yet that is exactly what they have with Rothwell. He has become a symbol of everything wrong with the window. The money spent should have secured quality that would lift the club back to glory. Instead it has delivered a red faced midfielder who has already worn out his welcome at Ibrox. Supporters deserve better than Red face Rothwell is struggling at Rangers.