Arthur Numan reckons there's been an overreaction to Rangers defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise.
The Ibrox club's Champions League group stage hopes were dealt a severe blow after they suffered a 2-0 first leg defeat to the Belgian outfit last Tuesday. But Numan has been in Gio van Bronckhorst's sides position before when the pair were team mates in 1998.
They got shown a hard reality to life in Glasgow with tricky encounters with Hearts and then Shelbourne. However his side came back to beat the Irish outfit 7-3 on aggregate in one of the greatest comebacks in UEFA Cup history. And now Numan believes Gers fans need to show patience after bringing in seven new signings this summer, especially after losing Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo who were pivotal to Rangers' continental success last season.
He told the Sunday Post : “I totally understand the disappointment felt by all the Rangers supporters. But this is only half-time. The last thing Giovanni and the players need is panic. They need support and to feel a calmness around them.
“Giovanni is putting a few new faces into the team, and he is doing so having lost Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo who were major players in last season’s Europa League run.
“He is now looking to find the best guys he has to take their places, and finding partnerships and new on-field relationships is not easy. It all takes time to gel. It’s highly unusual for it all to click after one or two games.
"Sure, I get that time is not on the horizon. It needs to be about the here and now. But let’s just be calm.
“Rangers can still win this tie. They can, for sure, come back from this two-goal deficit.
“They have some very good players, and they have the quality to win through.
“It may well take to extra-time to get the job done. If that is the case then, that’s fine. No problem. As long as we make it to the play-off.
“If the right victory is achieved on Tuesday, then it would have to be one of the most amazing comebacks, given what is at stake financially and the prestige of this competition.
“I was lucky enough to play in the Champions League many times for Rangers, and it was just unbelievable. I loved it, and those games remain some of the highlights of my career. I want the current squad to sample that, and taste it. They will want more and more, trust me.
“If it doesn’t go to plan in midweek against Union, then we can all sit back, reflect and assess. That would only be fair. But not now. It’s far too soon.”
Union Saint-Gilloise second leg preparations didn't go to plan on Saturday as they lost 3-0 to Mechelen in the Belgian Pro League. However several key players were rested by boss Karel Geraerts.
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