Todd Cantwell reacts to ‘noise about me’ at Rangers under Philippe Clement
Todd Cantwell has responded to criticism of his form at Rangers under Philippe Clement by pointing out he is playing in a different style to last season.
The former Norwich City attacker was arguably the star of the Light Blues side under Michael Beale following his January signing a year ago but didn’t hit the same heights for much of this term.
Cantwell accepts there is “always a lot of noise” around him, and that he “invites” that, but believes he is doing the job Philippe Clement has asked of him and the results are now starting to show.
Cantwell said, via The Herald (5 February): “There is always a lot of noise about me and I know I am the type of player who invites that. But as long as they are all seeing the good stuff as well then that is alright.”
“I’m playing centrally as a No 10 now and I am giving out the numbers that I think I can do. The manager knows what my best position is. His words to me were ‘when I first came in we had a few injuries we had a few complications in a sense’.
“Listen, I am playing in a position I like and I think I am showing it is my best position. I am thankful to the manager for giving me that game time.
“Listen, the thing that’s clear is I am playing as a different No 10 than I was before. It is a different style, a different way of playing the way we are playing just. You can see that I am not being asked to play the way I was last season.
“I see a lot of comments. Todd’s not getting involved. Todd’s not doing this. But I am being asked to play differently and it is working. The numbers are coming through, I am enjoying myself so let’s just enjoy it.”
Cantwell adapts at Rangers after Beale replaced by Clement
It looked like Cantwell might prove to be a flash in the pan at Rangers when he went through an indifferent start to the year and might have even been headed for the exit.
He was heavily criticised for a dive against Aberdeen at the end of November before Clement’s decision to substitute him in the first half of a limp European draw at home with Aris Limassol in the very next game shocked pundits and suggested the new manager might not have the time for him.
It was claimed at that stage that the pair’s relationship was already at breaking point, but it certainly doesn’t sound that way any more, and with four SPFL goals in his past six outings it would seem that the Belgian’s plan is working.
A regular target for fellow former Norwich man Chris Sutton the Englishman has also been criticised by former Rangers players for the amount of publicity he courts on social media.
But as long as he is playing his part in a Clement side that appears to be functioning pretty well at the moment, despite injury concerns, it won’t be much of a concern.
Something about his personality rubs certain people up the wrong way but he doesn’t look like he has any plans to change and has defended his position.
On current evidence that looks fair enough but he will need to keep up the positive performances if this side are going to make good on their increasingly-real title challenge.
In other Rangers news, Clement has confirmed that yet another player might now need surgery on an injury problem.
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