Nigel Spackman hopes ‘new manager bounce’ will carry Rangers through Sparta Prague clash
Nigel Spackman has said that he hopes Rangers’ new manager bounce will be big enough to carry the Light Blues through their clash with Sparta Prague.
The Gers got off to the perfect start under Philippe Clement on Saturday (21 October) running out 4-0 winners over Hibernian to bring some positivity to what has been a pretty miserable start to the season at Ibrox under Michael Beale.
But the fixtures come thick and fast and Rangers are back in action on Thursday (26 October) when they travel to Sparta Prague in the Europa League and Spackman hopes the boost from Clement’s appointment will provide the boost to help the players get a result.
As quoted by the Daily Record (24 October) he said: “Sparta were a strong side back then and they are a strong side now. They are top of their league and will be a tough prospect. But Rangers got the new manager bounce against Hibs – and let’s hope it’s a big bounce.
“The signs are very positive. Clement is a manager who likes high-pressing, attacking football. But he is clever and experienced enough to realise some of the players might now be used to doing that, so it’s about getting the balance.
“There were a lot of positives at the weekend. Four goals and a clean sheet is the ideal start and it just changed the entire mood around the place. Philippe has come in and he will have his own ideas of how he wants to play.”
Manager bounce
Rangers need to get their European campaign back on track as it took a blow under Steven Davis when the Light Blues lost to Aris Limassol in Cyprus and the Gers are very fortunate that they were able to get a result over Real Betis at Ibrox.
Sparta Prague will not be an easy test, but it is clear that Clement’s arrival has given the playing side a boost, they looked as though they had a weight taken off their shoulders and played with the attacking flair and bite that is expected of a Rangers squad.
But there is no magic wand to immediately fix the problems within the squad and it will be interesting to see whether the bounce can carry them through the clash with Sparta because they provide a very different prospect to Hibs.
The players don’t have time to settle and that was the issue under Beale. Every player has started a clean slate with Clement and now they have to ensure that the first impression they’re making is a positive one as a single performance against Hibernian won’t be enough.
In other Rangers news, Beale has deactivated his Twitter account having doubled down over his Ibrox tenure