BBC Sport pundit Bill Leckie shares why Rangers fans really turned on Philippe Clement v Aris Limassol
Rangers fans jeered Philippe Clement for his decision to keep Sam Lammers on the pitch against Aris Limassol, rather than for taking Todd Cantwell off, according to Bill Leckie.
Those inside Ibrox made their frustrations clear when Cantwell was hooked off 10 minutes before half-time in Thursday’s (30 November) 1-1 draw, shortly after the Gers fell behind.
Clement later confirmed that the decision was purely tactical, and it ultimately paid off as Cantwell’s replacement Ross McCausland scored the home side’s equaliser.
Writing for the Scottish Sun [30 November], Leckie said of the substitution: “Message received, loud and clear.
“The message from the fans to the manager right then was even louder – if he was going to hook anyone that early, they wanted it to be Sam Lammers, the £3.5million Dutchman who plays like he’s just washed his feet and can’t do a thing with them.
“Boos rang round the stands as they realised he was staying out there, thousands of little clouds of angry steam evaporating into the freezing Govan air.”
Line in the sand
Many expected Rangers to pick up a fairly routine victory against Aris on home soil in order to confirm a top-two spot and a place in the knockout rounds of the Europa League.
That was far from the case, with the Cypriot visitors profiting from a Cantwell error to open the scoring and then ultimately holding on for a point after McCausland levelled.
That makes it one point from a possible six against Aris – they lost the reverse fixture 2-1 in October – which is quite simply not good enough.
Supporters had every right to be frustrated with a number of players, whether that be Cantwell, Lammers or pretty much anyone else.
Cantwell has been underwhelming pretty much all season, and Clement was fully justified in taking him off if the midfielder had not followed his instructions as the Belgian claimed.
However, Lammers is an even more frustrating player to watch, with the summer signing just offering absolutely nothing in the number 10 position – his stunning strike against Dundee aside.
The draw with Aris was not exactly a disastrous result, but it may well be a game that proves a line in the sand for Clement, who may now change things up ahead of facing St Mirren.
In other Rangers news, a first-team regular only has himself to blame following recent “toxic” comments made against him.