Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin has now lost more matches as the club’s manager than he has won since his move to Ibrox in the summer.
The 2-1 defeat in the Europa League in Austria on Thursday night was his sixth defeat in 16 games in charge of the Light Blues, having won his fifth game last weekend.
One of the many problems that the former Southampton boss has at Ibrox is that he cannot seem to nail down his first-choice centre-forward, as Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti have been alternating as starters in recent weeks.
Why Rangers have a problem in the centre-forward position
Miovski has started the last two matches in the Scottish Premiership and Chermiti has started the last two games in the Europa League, but neither of them has done enough to warrant keeping their place.
The Macedonia international missed two ‘big chances’ to score against Livingston, per Sofascore, and came off the bench against Sturm Graz to lose four of his six duels in the second half.
Chermiti, meanwhile, missed one ‘big chance’ and lost 12 of his 18 ground duels and five of his eight aerial battles in his two starts in the Europa League, per Sofascore, which shows that the £10m signing from Everton has also failed to impress.
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These statistics show that the Light Blues have a problem in the centre-forward position because their two main options in that position have struggled in front of goal and physically.
However, there is another Rangers star who is currently in danger of becoming the new Sam Lammers, who flopped at Ibrox, after another disappointing performance on Thursday.
The Rangers star who could be the new Sam Lammers
Lammers joined the Gers from Atalanta for £3m in the summer of 2023 and only produced two goals and two assists in 31 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, before his move to FC Twente in the summer of 2024.
The Dutchman often played behind the striker for the Light Blues and looked to offer a physical presence in that role, but he did not provide enough quality as a scorer or a creator in the final third.
Thelo Aasgaard is now in danger of becoming the new Lammers at Ibrox after a difficult start to life in Glasgow following his £3.5m move from Luton Town in the summer.
The Norway international has failed to score or create any goals in his first ten appearances for the club in all competitions, often playing as the left-sided central midfielder in a 4-3-3 or as a number ten in a 4-2-3-1.
His performance against Sturm Graz, as a starter, in the Europa League on Thursday night summed up his start to his Ibrox career, as he competed in duels but was devoid of quality at the top end of the pitch.
Minutes
83
Goals + assists
0
Shots
0
Big chances created
0
Dribbles completed
1/3
Ground duels won
4/9
Fouls won
3
As you can see in the table above, Aasgaard won three fouls and four of his nine duels, which is respectable for a number ten, but he did not threaten the opposition’s goal anywhere near enough.
Like Lammers, the Norwegian talent offers a good outball when Rangers need to alleviate some pressure, because he can hold onto it under pressure and draw fouls from defenders.
However, the Scottish giants need more than just physicality from their number ten when they are losing as many games as they are, because Martin’s side is crying out for some creativity.
If Aasgaard can turn things around and start to show some creativity and quality in the final third, the goals may start to flow for Miovski or Chermiti ahead of him, solving that problem for the head coach.
However, the former Wigan Athletic star is in danger of becoming the new Lammers, an expensive attacking signing who does not do enough with the ball, if he cannot start to churn out goals and assists in the weeks and months to come.