Glasgow Rangers delivered a resolute display in their Europa League quarter-final first leg tie against La Liga side Athletic Bilbao, despite being reduced to ten men early on.

Robin Propper was sent off after he was deemed to have prevented a scoring opportunity and from then on, it looked as though the Spanish side would go on to score a few goals.

Bilbao had 19 shots throughout the match, yet couldn’t find the back of the net. They even had a penalty saved following a decision by the referee after a VAR review and this set up the match nicely ahead of the second leg.

One person who will miss that game, however, is Propper. Perhaps this could work wonders as the Light Blues look to reach the semi-finals.

Why Robin Propper was sent off against Athletic Bilbao

Prior to being dismissed, the Dutchman had yet to win a single duel contested while he lost possession twice, failed to deliver an accurate long ball from two attempts, and took just 16 touches.

After fouling Nico Williams on the edge of the penalty area, Propper was initially given a yellow card for his troubles.

Metric

Highest-ranked

Accurate passes

Daniel Vivian (84)

Key passes

Nico Williams (6)

Tackles

James Tavernier (5)

Shots on target

Oihan Sancet, Maroan Sannadi and Alex Berenguer (1)

Ground duels won

James Tavernier (7)

Following a VAR review, however, referee Istvan Kovacs upgraded this yellow to a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

According to IFAB rules, denying an opportunity outside the box results in a red card, although the sentiment wasn’t quite shared by the Ibrox crowd.

Thankfully, the Gers were able to secure a 0-0 draw that puts them in a solid position heading into the second leg.

Propper hasn’t exactly enjoyed the best maiden season at Ibrox. Did the club sell a player last year who is better than the former FC Twente captain?

The former Rangers star who is miles better than Propper

After spending six seasons with Rangers, making 309 appearances for the club in that time, Philippe Clement sold Connor Goldson last summer to Aris Limassol.

The timing was right, as the centre-back wasn’t at his best throughout 2023/24, but there is no doubt he still would have been a better option than Propper.

Hailed by former manager Steven Gerrard as being “an absolute mountain” back in 2021, Goldson’s influence waned, hence his move to Cyprus.

The English titan averages a 90% pass success rate this season in the Cypriot top flight, along with winning an impressive 75% of his aerial duels and succeeding with 53% of his long ball attempts.

Comparing this to Propper, who has an 89% pass success rate domestically, while winning 64% of his aerial duels and succeeding with 48% of his long ball attempts, proves that Goldson is enjoying the best campaign from a statistical viewpoint.

Furthermore, Propper simply cannot handle the physicality of Scottish football, as opposition attackers can get the better of him, having been dribbled past ten times in the Premiership so far.

Of course, I’m not saying Goldson is the answer to the club’s prayers, but given the choice, he appears to be a better option in comparison to Propper, based off their respective form this season.

As bad as Propper: Ferguson must axe Rangers dud who made just 4 passes

Having battled to a goalless draw at Ibrox, Rangers manager Barry Ferguson must axe his “frustrating” star at San Mamés in next Thursday’s second leg.

ByBen Gray

This is why the Gers messed up when they cashed in on the former Brighton man last year because he is currently miles better than the Dutch dud, who is yet to prove his worth at Ibrox.