Despite Glasgow Rangers suffering from somewhat of a rather underwhelming start to the season, they find themselves siting top of their Europa League group, are into the League Cup semi-finals and remain four points adrift of Celtic after six Premiership matches.
The performances haven’t been great for the vast majority of the 2023/24 campaign thus far, with Michael Beale failing to inspire his side to playing exciting, attacking football.
Things finally came to a head following the recent 1-0 victory over Motherwell as the raucous Ibrox crowd showered Beale with boos come the full time whistle, perhaps giving an indication at the mood surrounding the club right now.
Four clean sheets in the previous four games indicates a vast improvement defensively, especially considering they kept only two in their opening nine games before the international break.
Beale was certainly aiming to sign another defender during the dying embers of the summer transfer window and could this perhaps turn out to be a major mistake?
The 43-year-old could potentially have done with the services of a former Gers centre-back who played under Steven Gerrard but is now a captain for a Premier League side – Joe Worrall.
When did Rangers sign Joe Worrall?
After a few chastising seasons back in the top flight, the Gers turned to former Liverpool captain and England icon Gerrard as the man to guide the club back to the summit of Scottish football.
It represented a massive gamble by the Ibrox side as Gerrard had never managed a senior club before, yet it eventually turned into a wonderful decision.
His first season was certainly a baptism of fire however, as he signed a few flops while struggling to maintain any sort of consistency in the league while failing to reach a domestic cup final.
One of his signings was that of Worrall, who joined on a season long loan from Nottingham Forest during the final couple of days of the summer transfer window and aged just 21 at the time and with 56 appearances for Forest behind him, it looked like it could be a decent acquisition.
What happened to Joe Worrall?
With Rangers qualifying for the group stages of a European competition for the first time since the 2010/11 season, the capture of Worrall looked like it could bolster his defence and form a key partnership alongside fellow compatriot Connor Goldson.
Unfortunately, his spell in Glasgow didn’t quite work out as expected, with the defender failing to get up to speed with the physicality of Scottish football.
40
47.6
4.6
3.6
1.2
1.8
3.6
3.8
5
9.2
Overall, the Englishman played 32 matches across all competitions for the Gers – netting once – during his sole campaign, and perhaps it was too much expectation for a player who was simply too young to fully comprehend the pressures of playing for the club.
He even admitted himself that he didn’t do as well as hoped, yet enjoyed his spell in Glasgow, saying:
“My loan at Rangers, I’m so so thankful for. I loved my time up there, unbelievable football club. The size of it, Steven Gerrard being the manager was a massive pull.
"I thought it was a prank call. He’s my hero. I loved watching him as a player, it was unbelievable to play for him.
I did find it tough, a long way from Nottingham and I’m a big home boy. Massive learning curve at Rangers.”
It's safe to say he was dreadful under Gerrard but has gone on to impress down South in recent seasons.
Where is Joe Worrall now?
Having returned to parent club Forest in the summer of 2019, Worrall went on to become a first team regular for the Championship side, going on to make 81 appearances over the next two seasons.
The club finally ended a 23-year wait to return to the top flight by winning the playoff final during the 2021/22 campaign and Worrall was excellent. He helped his side keep 16 clean sheets across 39 games while also winning 5.4 total duels per game – a success rate of 63% – and he certainly demonstrated his qualities.
These displays clearly impressed Steve Cooper, who appointed the defender as his captain ahead of their first Premier League season of the 21st century, and he once again stepped up to the plate as the club managed to avoid relegation.
Across the whole Forest squad, Worrall ranked seventh for overall Sofascore rating (6.82), along with ranking second for accurate passes per game (28.6), fifth for tackles per game (1.8) and sixth for clearances per game (3.6), indicating that he was among Forest’s better performers during their return to the top flight.
The 6 foot 3 titan has played five out of Forest’s six matches during the 2023/24 season, and although they have kept just one clean sheet during those matches, Worrall has won 3.6 total duels per game and lost possession just five times on average per game, showing how confident he is on the ball.
The centre-back was even praised by BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray for his attitude recently following the sad passing of his uncle. He said:
"Obviously we send our condolences to Joe and his family. To produce that kind of footballing performance, against the backdrop of such tragedy, does him a huge service.
"He was absolutely fantastic and he didn't put a foot wrong against Chelsea. I was delighted for him because he's had to come through a few moments, where fans questioned him, when Forest got promoted to the Premier League. But he looked every inch a Premier League defender.”
If you asked any Rangers fan five years ago whether Worrall would end up captaining a team in the Premier League, while also looking established in one of the finest leagues in Europe, they would have laughed.
Worrall has certainly used his poor spell North of the border as motivation to go and improve his all-round game, and it has paid off in recent seasons.
There is no doubt he could add something extra to Beale’s squad at this current moment in time and although no manager has a crystal ball, perhaps giving the youngster another chance at the club may have worked out well for the Light Blues.