Rangers manager Philippe Clement is seen prior to the SPL | Premier League match between Rangers FC and Hibernian FC at Ibrox Stadium on September …Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Hibs showing slaughtered by ex-Rangers striker as Philippe Clement takes aim at schedule
Rangers didn’t exactly set the heather alight on their return to a full Ibrox as the club eked out a 1-0 win over Hibs in the Scottish Premiership.
Tom Lawrence netted a stunning first-half effort to win the game for Rangers, who struggled to create enough clear-cut openings in the second half in particular.
Goalkeeper Jack Butland also saved a tame penalty at the end of the first period which proved to be crucial as the Gers saw out a 1-0 win against Hibs at Ibrox.
But there has been plenty made about the Rangers performance come full time with one ex-Ibrox striker slaughtering Philippe Clement’s charges come the final whistle.
READ MORE: Rangers player ratings v Hibs: Butland & Lawrence prove matchwinners
Tom Lawrence of Rangers celebrates after he score the opening goal during the SPL | Premier League match between Rangers FC and Hibernian FC at Ibr…
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Rangers performance v Hibs slaughtered
The Rangers victory means it is four wins and four clean sheets on the bounce for the club as Philippe Clement’s team builds some forward momentum.
But on another day Rangers might’ve dropped points and fallen further behind both Aberdeen and Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
With Rangers closing the gap to five points after six games, it is crucial the Ibrox side keep touch with the early pace-setters and ex-Gers striker Steven Thompson has had plenty to say come full time.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Thompson claims that it ‘was not a good performance’ and pointed to some ‘nervousness’ at Ibrox as a result.
MORE RANGERS STORIES
“It was not a good performance from Rangers,” said Thompson. “I don’t know if you can point to Europe through the week as an excuse for the lack of urgency, tempo, quality on the ball.
“Rangers struggled to create anything in the game. But they’ve got Tom Lawrence, a clean sheet, their goalkeeper – and Kuharevich – to thank for that.
“The manager will know that level of performance on another day would have seen them fall further behind Celtic and Aberdeen at the top. You could feel their nervousness around the stadium.”
Philippe Clement explains Rangers performance
Rangers boss Philippe Clement was also asked about his side’s turgid Scottish Premiership performance in the victory over Hibs.
The Belgian manager pointed to lethargy following the impressive 2-0 win over Malmo in the Europa League as a major contributing factor in the performance.
Clement also took aim at the quick turnaround between Rangers finishing in Sweden and kicking off v Hibs.
But Clement was also clear that he was not happy with the Rangers performance even if his team ground out a much-needed three points in the southside of Glasgow.
“You want a performance of course,” Clement told the press. “I think we did in the first half in some moments, but not enough.
“But ok, my colleagues spoke also about that last week I think.
“In a lot of countries now you look at fixtures and when they are played.
“You play today at 12 o clock after a European trip when you come home at 2am at Auchenhowie.
“So then you need to drive home, so players sleep around 4am.
“You have the next day training, you lost one night of sleep, you have one night of sleep and today is also a short one because you need to wake up really early.
“So I saw a few players, or almost every player, that they were less fresh than in the last couple of weeks.
“It’s normal. So it’s important to take the three points also and we had also the ball and the best chances in this game.
“Do I want better football? Yes for sure.
“You want to see what you saw on Thursday but it’s important also in these moments when you are less fresh to dig in and get the result.”
Related Topics
Philippe Clement
Scottish Premiership
Related Posts
More in Match
More in Match
About Us
Editorial Policy
Meet The Team
Newsletter
Contact Us
Privacy
Complaints
Privacy Settings
a proud member of
© 2024 GRV Media Ltd. All Rights Reserved
GRV Media Ltd, 18 Mulberry Avenue, Widnes,
Cheshire, WA8 0WN
Company No. 04155089
