Leon Balogun wasn't part of the disaster against Hibs but he wasn't shying away in the dressing room
Sport Fraser Wilson 20:16, 09 Apr 2025
He might have played no part in the latest Ibrox horror show.
But Leon Balogun wasn’t hiding from the flak flying round the Auchenhowie dressing room on Monday morning.
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Home truths? The truth is Rangers at home have lost their spark. Lost the ability to win as a worst ever record of five consecutive defeats proves with the latest arriving in Saturday’s capitulation to Hibs.
Balogun has no idea why that is. Just like he can’t fathom why their European form has flown in the face of their woeful domestic performances.
The truth hurts and while Balogun revealed there was “no filter” in Monday's clear-the-air summit at Auchenhowie, it’s wider accusations from punters and pundits that this team only raise their game for the big stage that cuts just as deep.
All of this has brought Rangers to a position where, with their hopes of lifting Scottish silverware long gone, they now have one last crack at glory this season in Europe.
And one of those charges - that they can’t handle playing at Ibrox and only turn up for big games - has to be proved wrong when Athletic Bilbao turn up for Thursday's Europa League quarter final.
This is a side Barry Ferguson reckons are favourites to got the whole hog and win the silverware in their own wonderful Estadio de San Mames.
Balogun was an unused sub against Hibs but is set to step into the backline against Bilbao in place of the suspended John Souttar.
And he hopes Monday’s no-holds barred meeting has wiped the slate clean for another euphoric night of Euro action - even if he still can’t explain why there’s been such a contrast between that and domestic form.
The big defender said: “I can't, to be honest. If we could, then we would have fixed it by now.
“What hurts a bit is that you hear that people are saying that we only turn up for those big games, and at the moment there's some truth in it, and that must hurt every single one of us.
“It comes down to turning things around. But it's probably not tomorrow's game where we can prove that, but it's the domestic games, like last weekend, where we have to show that.
“It was just a very straightforward and honest conversation on Monday, which needed to be held.
“We all know that recent performances, domestically especially, haven't been good enough. I mean, if you lose five on the spin at Ibrox, at this club, it's not something you should be able to accept.
“So it was very open, no filter, but with a very positive outcome.
“It definitely wasn't a happy place after Sunday, but we were all pretty clear on the fact that now we are in a quarter-final. It is separate from what's happening domestically. That's a fact.
“There's a massive opportunity for the players, for the club.”
Balogun remained on the bench as Hibs coasted to a 2-0 win on Saturday. Watching the stadium empty almost half an hour before full time brought home the brutal scale of the situation.
Ferguson’s scathing assessment on Saturday was that this group of players are “miles from being a Rangers team”. And Balogun knows it’s up to them to go the distance and prove that wrong.
Asked if the current squad are struggling to play at Ibrox, he said: “You would have to ask each player individually. You look at performances here that we had in the past, and you might think it's hard to say that. You can't really put your finger on it.
“I think overall we just lack consistency this season. I can't say it's down to the fact that it's Ibrox. I'd like not to think so, just based on my own experience here.
“Yes, I've been in some tough games, but overall it's a joy to be here, to play in front of 50,000, every single game. So I would like to think that this is not a problem, it's more a problem of consistency.
“Seeing fans leave early was a tough one. It's not my right to tell people how to support us. Can I understand their frustration and their disappointment? Definitely.
“There's things to make up for. As much as there have been things this season that we gave back to them, we need to give them more of those moments. That's indisputable.”
Balogun - a veteran of the Rangers side that reached the 2022 final - will put his 36-year-old body back on the line against a side flying in fourth in La Liga and with Arsenal target Nico Williams just one of the superstars in their midst.
But don’t for a second think he’s worried at the prospect of facing the man named man of the match when Spain beat England in last year’s European Championship final.
He said: “It's going to be a big challenge, but it's a big challenge for any player in the world who plays against him these days.
“It’s a privilege to be able to play against these type of players. I remember when we went all the way to Seville three years ago, I was desperate to play against Haaland, but he wasn't fit for the games.
“In hindsight, maybe it was better that he didn't play, we don't know! But I think this is the type of mindset you need to have.
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“Yes, they are really good players, world-class, some of them. But those are the games, those are the type of matches that you dream of when you're a young boy.
“So we should just embrace it and be joyful about it and make sure that we have something to take joy out of it as well.”
