OPINION
While there were plenty of new names through the door at Ibrox in Steven Gerrard’s Rangers revolution, the summer also saw plenty of figures depart on a mix of both permanent and temporary moves.
The likes of Josh Windass, Declan John and Bruno Alves were just three of the numerous players who the new manager felt he could do better off without this season, while Greg Docherty, Lee Hodson and Joe Dodoo were among those who secured loans away to stay in with a chance of a future at the club.
Speaking of his own plans at Ibrox, Docherty, who was signed in the January transfer window of 2018 but moved to Shrewsbury in the summer, has insisted he wants to become part of the Light Blues’ history, rather than being a footnote, and insisted he is planning to return to Glasgow a better player than before.
He told the Evening Times: “My long-term goal is to be a successful player there, and for the time being, I need to get consistent games if I am to achieve that. I don’t want this contract at Rangers to run out and say I was part of the Rangers regime, I actually want to be a part of it, play regularly and play a role in winning trophies.”
However, while he might be performing well in League One, the third tier of English football is not the level he needs to be playing to forge any sort of career at Rangers, and he needs to try and find a move up the divisions in either England or Scotland to prove his worth.
His current side simply do not play at a comparable level as the Gers, and no matter how well he plays, it is never going to get him a recall to Gerrard’s team – he needs to be playing at a better level of competition if he is to break back into the team.
Docherty might well have plans of success at Ibrox but right now he is doing nothing substantial to help his cause, and if he cannot force a loan move elsewhere in January to improve his standings, then he is set for the heartbreak of failing in his dreams of being a Rangers success story.
A fresh move come 2019 is the only right move for him, and should he seal the right switch, he could be on his way to a future role at the Gers.