Thursday’s defeat, which drops Rangers into a Conference League play-off against Czech side Jablonec, came right after the crushing news that Youssef Chermiti faces a long-term knee layoff—just days after the club turned down a substantial bid for the 22-year-old.
It means Rangers must now pursue a new striker in addition to the wingers and defenders McInnes had already targeted. He says the club are working hard to secure the right profiles, with PSV Eindhoven winger Couhaib Driouech expected to be the next arrival.
Halliday believes the squad shouldn’t be this unbalanced so late in the window, suggesting they need three centre-backs, a left-back, and two—possibly three—wingers.
Even so, he argues the current group should be good enough to beat Dundee United, Hibs, and Jagiellonia Bialystok.
Rangers had banked on reuniting McInnes with Lawrence Shankland to replicate the near title-winning momentum they enjoyed at Hearts last season in pushing Celtic.
However, former Rangers striker Steven Thompson feels Shankland is already confronting the extra demands of being the club’s new captain. He says the pressure of playing for Rangers, a slower-than-hoped start, and even small mistakes are weighing on him. At previous clubs a heavy touch might draw a few jeers; at Ibrox, every miscontrol or missed shot is seized upon. Thompson believes the challenge is more mental than physical.