George Overhill

Mon 30 October 2023 19:40, UK

Philippe Clement’s positivity in the wake of the late Rangers win over Hearts is a “good thing” because the players will know he’s “got [their] back”, says Richard Foster.

The BBC Sportsound pundit reacted live to the Ibrox boss’ enthusiastic assessment of his side’s “mindset” on 29 October after a rough performance was rescued in added time to turn a 1-0 defeat into a 2-1 win, with Michael Stewart “absolutely astonished” at how pleased the Belgian was.

But Foster disagreed and in contrast said “I like that” regarding Clement’s backing of his players because they will already know they didn’t play well and the “positive vibe” is helpful after the difficult situation they have been in.

Foster said (5.24pm): “I can see where he comes from in a certain respect. He’s a new manager, he’s just in the door. We don’t know what he says in the dressing room, so in there he could be telling them, ‘Look, we’ve won the game but it needs to be better, we need to move the ball quicker, play at a higher tempo’. All the things that he did say.

“But he comes out in the press and he’s positive and he’s behind his players, and he says full credit to them. I like that.

“As a player in the dressing room you kind of feel that your manager’s now got your back, that he’s going to give you the benefit of the doubt, regardless of the true message he gives to the players in the dressing room.

“That’s the one that we’re not party do, we don’t hear, but he comes out and he speaks well and he’s confident and happy with what he got from his players in terms of the reaction. They weren’t really up against anything apart from the goal that they conceded, but I don’t mind his comments.

“I don’t often like it when managers come out and lambasts their players, saying publicly that they weren’t good enough, because players know that themselves. The fans, especially here, make it evident when you’re not at the level they expect.

“What he says in the dressing room we don’t know, but his comments after the game I’ve got no issue with it and actually I quite like the positivity, because they’ve been in a pretty poor place recently.

“They have cut the gap [to Celtic], albeit it wasn’t a great performance, but I think the positive vibe is a good thing.”

Different tack

Michael Beale increasingly used the stick approach as he looked to distance himself from the underwhelming performances towards the end of his reign at Ibrox.

So if Clement believes the carrot is going to be of more use at this point then it makes sense to try to build these players up.

But he has eyes so he will have seen a performance for 90 minutes that was a long way short of the level that this Rangers side need to be at if they are going to lift any trophies this season.

Hearts handed Rangers an escape route when they gave away a last-minute penalty and without it Clement would likely have recorded his first loss in charge.

That the players, especially James Tavernier, belated reacted enough to take that opportunity when it was presented is certainly a positive, but doesn’t gloss over the performance as a whole.

They got away with one on the day as much through the failings of their opponents than their own endeavour, and the boos at half-time were all too familiar this season.

Ultimately three points is three points, and two back on Celtic after their draw with Hibs a day earlier, so if it can be taken as a lesson and a building point it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

In other Rangers news, the club “will have to” now sign a striker in January and a potential target has now boosted his case to be the man according to Jonny McFarlane.