Don’t Be a Revisionist: Rangers Got Findlay Curtis’ Loan Move Exactly Right

Sunday’s uninspiring Old Firm defeat marked a whimpering conclusion to Rangers’ 2025/26 title hopes. The disappointment was compounded by seeing Findlay Curtis once again star for Kilmarnock, striking twice in their decisive 3-0 victory over St Mirren and leaving a section of the Rangers support questioning his loan move and what he could have contributed to the title push.

The Rangers Rabble Podcast raised some intriguing points regarding Curtis’ loan move to Kilmarnock in the aftermath of his productive weekend and his parent club’s disastrous one:

'I know the most people disagree and that's absolutely fine. One of the biggest mistakes made was putting Findlay Curtis out on loan.

'I'm not saying Findlay Curtis is best player in Europe, i'm not even that had he stayed he would have been the best player at Rangers. But, what Findlay Curtis gives you is a knowledge of the league, 100%, energy every game and a will to win.

'I also understand that when you bring in Skov Olsen, that was the realisation that Findlay is going to go out on loan because Olsen is going to get the majority of the game time.

'That's a risk the manager took and it backfired on him.

'Findlay Curtis has gone to Kilmarnock, dug his heels in, scored and created goals and he's had a pretty good second half of the season at Kilmarnock.

'Findlay Curtis at Rangers this season would have done more than what Antman, Gassama and Skov Olsen have done combined.'

Now, it is easy to fantasise about what an inform Curtis may have provided Rangers during the run-in.

But the reality is not as simple as the Rangers Rabble suggest.

Curtis’ loan spell at Kilmarnock has ticked one of football’s most important clichés for young players: there is simply no substitute for playing games regularly.

Under Rohl, Curtis was consistently playing not just second fiddle but third, stuck behind Gassama and Mikey Moore in the pecking order.

Mikey Moore may have won the PFA Young Player of the Season award, but Curtis’ success at Killie only reinforces how questionable it was to prioritise a Tottenham loanees development over your own academy talents.

Thierry Henry has Findlay Curtis posters in his room 🖼️ pic.twitter.com/wWe0flXIC0

— SPFL (@spfl) May 11, 2026

According to FotMob, Curtis has played a total of 1,088 Premiership minutes this season, with 894 of those coming at Kilmarnock. That accounts for 82% of his league minutes this campaign.

Yes, cameo appearances in high-pressure title-race fixtures may have been valuable experience, but the lessons learned from his situation at Kilmarnock are arguably even more important.

Curtis has learned how to shoulder attacking responsibility while figuring out how to overcome opposition defences specifically designed to nullify his threat.

It does not have the glamour of a decade defining title challenge, but Kilmarnock’s relegation battle offered Curtis the perfect environment to make mistakes, solve problems himself and learn at Premiership speed in matches that still carried real consequence.

Let’s not become revisionists. Curtis had no meaningful role at Rangers this season that would have significantly benefited either himself or the club. The loan move — and the circumstances surrounding it — were perfect.

It is natural to direct blame inward when you see someone thrive in a situation you believe they could have succeeded in at your own club. But timing in football is everything.

Curtis needed developmental freedom; Rangers needed ready-made talent capable of pushing them closer to a title. Curtis got what he needed, while Rangers ultimately failed to find the quality they required.

This season, the two were simply not ready for one another.

The player who left Ibrox should look greatly different from the one who returns. Yes, he has gained much-needed confidence and footballing maturity, but more importantly he should return hungry, carrying the belief that he belongs — having already proven himself in the league and perhaps even on the World Cup stage.