I watched Rangers draw vs West Ham and noted strong starting XI claim, captaincy question and area of concern

Their final friendly test before the competitive action gets under way against Dundee United at Tannadice on Friday, chances were at a premium as both sides ground out a goalless draw in front of 48,178 fans in Govan.

With their season preparation now over, Rangers boss Derek McInnes will lead his side into the new season as he looks to overthrow fierce rivals Celtic at the top of the Premiership come May. But what did their weekend draw with West Ham tell us about them heading into the new campaign?

Graham Falk was at Ibrox to cover proceedings on Sunday. These are his three key takeaways from Ranger’s pre-season clash vs West Ham.

• Derek McInnes delivers verdict on Nico Raskin's Rangers future, shares transfer hope and gives injury update

Captaincy conundrum

Whichever side of the fence you sat on when it came to former Rangers skipper James Tavernier, there’s no doubt that the source of debate surrounding his Ibrox legacy often hinged on whether or not he was a proper ‘Rangers captain’. Whether he was or wasn’t, his Ibrox era is now consigned to history, and a new man will officially take the armband against Dundee United this coming Friday.

Captains of their previous clubs, Lawrence Shankland, Dan Neil and Vanja Dragojevic could all make a viable claim for the armband, while Dujon Sterling and Ben Godfrey have both worn it during pre-season. But which will be named as the club’s next captain - and how much does it really matter? While every team needs one, perhaps the real strength comes from the number of candidates McInnes has for the position. It has been said that the recent Rangers team have lacked leaders on and off the pitch, so McInnes’ response to being asked if he had decided who would be his new captain yet should give fans some real optimism.

”There's a leadership group in the training ground every day,” said McInnes. “A lot of people get obsessed with who's the captain - I understand that. But I do think I'm fortunate in that I've got a few that I can consider for that position. Sometimes you can sit in a dressing room, look around and you go, 'Christ, who's going to lead them out?’ I don't feel that here, I feel as though there's a number that could do it.

“But obviously somebody's got to take the lads down the tunnel and somebody's going to have that responsibility. I feel as though I've made my mind up about that - but I just wanted to see how everybody was with the armband really and just have a look from afar at how they are. But I see more of that kind of quality day in, day out.”

Area of concern

Pre-season is a curious time to judge players, formations, and managers. Lose games you’re expected to win? Well, it’s just pre-season. Perform well and win? Well, there are no points on offer, so does it really matter? In truth, friendly matches are exactly as they sound. They have little substance outside of fitness and a little bit of pride.

That said, in the 0-0 draw with West Ham, the lack of creativity will have been a concern to McInnes and his staff. Outside of a close-range header from Mohamed Diomande, they never really looked like carving their visitors open. On the left flank, Djeidi Gassama was far too predictable and handled with consummate ease by Kyle Walter-Peters. Elsewhere, Thelo Aasgaard had some neat touches in a role just behind Ryan Naderi, but often made the wrong decision with his final touch. Thankfully, it’s an area Rangers are hoping to address this week as per the manager’s post-match comments.

“We need those difference makers,” said McInnes. “I think a club like outs needs to have those guys that can isolate and go and be one, and can play off both sides naturally. So we are looking for a wee bit more creativity that we think can serve the strikers. We've got strikers in [Ryan] Naderi, [Youssef] Chermiti, [Lawrence] Shankland and [Bojan] Miovski who can all finish off chances.

“But maybe only Chermiti is capable of creating an opportunity for himself in terms of his feet and all the rest of it. But Ryan, Lawrence and Bojan are very much dependent on service, and we need to provide a bit more service. At least in the second half, we got a few crosses in the box, and we managed to give them opportunities. But I do think there has to be a shift in the sense that we need players who see that job as really important for the team.”

Strong starting XI claim

McInnes shared the belief that his midfield is the strongest area of his squad in his post-match press conference. Having significantly strengthened their midfield in the summer, with the triple addition of Dan Neil, Cammy Devlin and Vanja Dragojevic, few could argue. Alongside the aforementioned trio, Mohamed Diomande, Connor Barron, Thelo Aasgaard and Tochi Chukwuani are also battling for a spot. Nico Raskin can also be included on that list as it stands too, though only a brave person would bet on him remaining at Ibrox beyond the transfer deadline.

A selection headache will be of no stress, but McInnes does have a decision to make on his starting XI all the same. Who will get the nod in his midfield? He went with three in the middle, as opposed to two against Saint-Etienne earlier in the week, and there’s no indication as of yet as to what we can expect against Dundee United in terms of formation. However, regardless of what his starting XI looks like, it feels increasingly likely Devlin will be included.

Industrious and terrier-like, the home support enjoyed his energetic first-half performance, with the Australian international looking like he’s ready to grasp his Rangers opportunity with both hands. He could be seen geeing his teammates up pre-match, and he led by example when they got on the pitch with his pressing and high-energy attitude. He wanted to make an impression - and Rangers fans loved it. He’s surely done enough to convince McInnes he starts at Tannadice on Friday.

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