Rangers stopper Robin Propper admits he’s still in a learning process to accept that losing is completely unacceptable at Rangers…after they fell 12 points behind Celtic.
Philippe Clement’s side slumped to another defeat when they lost at St Mirren in a shock 2-1 setback in Paisley. Dutch stopper Propper was introduced as a sub in the game for the injured Leon Balogun and has endured a rocky start since his move from Twente Enschede. And in an interview in his homeland before the trip to Paisley, Propper admits he’s taken time to get used to Rangers’ mentality while accepting Scottish football is a different style from the Netherlands. He said: “It’s so different from what I was used to.
“At Twente, you can lose. At Rangers, after a disappointment in the eyes of the outside world, everything is bad. There is so much media around the club. Those are just the laws of the top club. The supporters expect a lot. You have to become champions.
“But I have not regretted the move for a second. The football is comparable to the Netherlands. But of course, I had to get used to it. The way most Scottish clubs play is very opportunistic, or a lot of long balls.
“In the Eredivisie, I liked a thoughtful, calm build-up. But here the opponents’ supporters immediately start whistling when you do that. In the Netherlands last year, only Almere City played the Scottish way. Rangers are one of the few teams who do want to build from the back.”
And Propper, in the interview with Algemeen Dagblad, accepts Clement’s squad rotation policy. He said: “I have played most of the matches. Here, the manager constantly says ‘we do it together’ and that’s how it works in practice.
“In the Netherlands, players who aren’t in the team always want explanations and they often get them. At Twente, we were a big club in our region, but Rangers is a top national club, which also has an international name and fame.
“Our supporters come from all over the country. Driving three or four hours to visit a match is quite normal here. During some away matches, the stadium is three quarters full of Rangers fans.”