Stephen Craigan praises ‘safety blanket’ Leon Balogun in Rangers win v St Mirren
Stephen Craigan has heaped praise on Leon Balogun for his Rangers performance against St Mirren and what he adds to the team in place of Connor Goldson.
The Light Blues secured their first Scottish Premiership win in three games as they took a 2-1 win away from The SMISA Stadium on 28 April.
A Mikael Mandron header cancelled out James Bolton’s own goal before Cyriel Dessers scored the winner late on.
Speaking on BBC Sportscene, Craigan has praised Balogun for his performance in the Gers’ backline.
He said: “Connor Goldson may have an extended rest, to quote Philippe Clement, because of bringing in Leon Balogun with the experience and his leadership qualities, he doesn’t get flustered.
“He’s been thrown into the spotlight because all the pressure’s been on Connor Goldson. His reading of the game, his recovery pace for a 35-year-old. He also settles John Souttar down, sometimes having that security blanket next to you can help him through the games.”
How did Leon Balogun perform for Rangers v St Mirren?
The Gers were back looking like their usual selves on Sunday (28 April) despite looking slightly dull going forward.
They managed to keep 61 per cent of possession but could only translate that into six shots on target throughout [FotMob].
Rangers’ defence was much improved, thanks in part to Balogun maintaining his role in the centre of the defence over Goldson.
They managed to reduce the home side to 12 shots with five of those coming from outside the box.
The Nigerian had 78 touches on the ball and used that to keep the game ticking over with his 52 passes and 80 per cent accuracy [FotMob].
Balogun had 100 per cent tackle success across his three challenges while winning eight duels throughout the game.
He added to all of this with six clearances, one interception and four recoveries. He was defensively sound throughout.
Goldson has been a reliable member of the Rangers squad but now Clement’s side seems to perform better with Balogun in the side.
In other Rangers news, a first-team player has reached the end of his cycle at Ibrox and a £2m transfer may be on the cards.
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