Serious issue inside Rangers dressing room as something goes badly wrong at Ibrox
Keith Jackson believes there is something “seriously wrong” in the Rangers dressing room after Philippe Clement’s side drew their final league game of the season against Hearts on 18 May.
Fabio Silva’s 79th minute strike gave the Gers a 3-1 advantage with just over 10 minutes of normal time to play, but the Light Blues contrived to concede twice before the final whistle was blown to record a 3-3 draw.
And Jackson feels the performance produced against Hearts, coupled with the team’s poor form at the tail end of the season, speaks volumes about the state of the dressing room.
He wrote for the Daily Record (20 May): “On Saturday at Tynecastle, [Clement] watched on from the sidelines as [Rangers] took it upon themselves to toss away a two-goal lead to end the league season with another two dropped points. Over their final 10 games of the campaign, when wins were at an absolute premium, Rangers managed only four of them.
“In total over that same period, they took just 15 points from a possible 30 which is a sure signal that something has gone seriously wrong inside Clement’s dressing room. And the lazy manner of their latest collapse at the weekend suggests their heart is no longer in it.”
Is poor form a sign that Rangers are coming apart?
After an average start to the season – and a strong recovery – all Rangers’ good work appears to be in danger of coming undone at the end of the campaign.
Clement had Rangers firing immediately, but their form has dipped dramatically since, with the Gers mustering just three wins from their final eight matches, drawing three and losing two to go from holding the advantage in the title race to finishing eight points adrift of Celtic.
The Bhoys’ form over the same period, meanwhile, is six wins and a draw – Rangers had a game in hand and so played one more fixture – as Brendan Rogers’ men surged to a title triumph, with all six of those victories coming in succession after the 3-3 Old Firm derby draw at Ibrox on 7 April.
If there are issues in the Rangers dressing room, they must be sorted out in time for the Gers’ next clash with Celtic at Hampden Park in the Scottish FA Cup final on 25 May – and they must certainly be dealt with ahead of next season.
In other news, Michael Stewart has demanded ‘hard cash’ at Ibrox this summer.
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