Gordon Parks offers ‘well short’ verdict ahead of Rangers Europa League clash with Sparta Prague
Gordon Parks has said that this group of Rangers players remain “well short” of the standard required ahead of the Light Blues clash with Sparta Prague.
Philippe Clement got off to the perfect start at Ibrox against Hibernian on Saturday (21 October) as the Gers ran out 4-0 winners in front of the home crowd to breathe some confidence into both supporters and players after a miserable start to the season.
But the fixtures come thick and fast for the Belgian manager, with a trip to Prague in the Europa League on Thursday (26 October) and Daily Record journalist Parks has admitted that he believes Clement’s side will struggle to get a result.
Writing for the Daily Record (22 October) he said: “It was far better by Rangers who had players putting in a shift but that’s the norm when a new boss arrives and players fear for their futures.
“Can it be sustained in the long term? Probably not as this group of players are well short of what’s required and it could well be defeat in Prague.”
Negativity
Nobody is expecting Clement to arrive in Glasgow and immediately wave a magic wand to solve all of Rangers’ problems that have plagued this season so far, but how anyone can watch Saturday’s game and come away with such a negative outlook seems bizarre.
Rangers weren’t perfect, but the manner of the performance was better than anything produced under Beale so far this season and should the Light Blues match that performance in the Europa League, there should only be one winner.
These players have been rightly criticised in the early parts of the campaign as their performances have been nowhere near good enough, but part of that has been down to the way in which they’ve been coached, so nobody should be writing them off as “well short.”
Luckily for the Light Blues, their defeat to Aris Limassol before the international break may not be too costly, as every team in Group C currently sit on three points after two games. But to have any hopes of success in Europe, Clement has to ensure that his side takes all three points in Prague.
In other Rangers news, Clement was impressed by the synergy between Rangers fans and players at Ibrox against Hibs