Philippe Clement selection ‘surprises’ as delight Barry Ferguson as Rangers thrash Hibs in ‘brilliant’ start
Rangers made a “brilliant” start to life under Philippe Clement after the new manager sprung some selection “surprises” to thrash Hibs 4-0, according to Barry Ferguson.
The former Ibrox captain told Go Radio’s The Football Show on 23 October that the inclusion of John Souttar and Scott Wright in the Belgian’s first starting XI on Saturday (21 October) was unexpected but “I like it that way”.
Ferguson tipped the former title winner with Genk and Club Brugge to be ready to make a “tough decision” and supports him making unorthodox choices.
Ferguson said, as per the Daily Record: “You could see it on Saturday. When they gave the ball away, they weren’t feeling sorry for themselves, they were working hard to get it back.
“You could see what he’s trying to put into this team and bear in mind he’s only had the full squad for a couple of days. But you can already see a difference.
“I like that he’s not getting carried away and nobody should because it’s only one game. Now it’s about showing that in Prague on Thursday night, then on the Sunday against Hearts. I want to see it most games.
“But it’s a brilliant start. You can’t ask for any more.
“He strikes me as someone that if it starts to slip, he’ll be bang on it. He’ll not be scared to make a tough decision.
“He started the team and there were a few surprises. John Souttar came in and Scott Wright played etc. But I like that way.
“It would be easy to say ‘the guys were brilliant’ and it’s all singing and dancing, we’re back to being the way that Rangers should be.”
Vindidated
When everyone is fit it is unlikely that Wright will be getting many starts, and the defence seems to be undergoing an endless shuffle with the current options, but right now whatever works is the right decision.
Clement provided a sizeable new manager bounce to dispatch Hibs, in contrast to the way Steven Davis and his interim team got virtually no response when they took charge following Michael Beale’s sacking.
One victory doesn’t gloss over a dismal start to the season with a highly-anticipated revamp falling flat from the off, but the recovery had to start somewhere and the first game ticked most of the required boxes.
While Clement has been tipped to receive some backing in January if he is successful in securing the League Cup in December his primary job is to get the best out of the squad that was assembled during a busy summer.
New comers and established veterans alike have been badly underperforming lately, with Jack Butland and Abdallah Sima arguably the only ones who can come out of the past couple of months with any credit.
So if the new boss is ready to shake things up and play some names who were out of favour then it should help keep others on their toes when they may have been getting too complacent.
As long as he gets results and performances then he will look like a genius, but if the slip ups that have plagued the previous two bosses start to reappear soon he may find himself being second guessed.
In other Rangers news, Chris Jack was baffled by the “strange” unexplained absence of one player who might now be vital this week.