Philippe Clement needs more from Rangers star after what happened
Philippe Clement has found himself the subject of plenty of criticism this season at Rangers.
After a 2-1 loss against St Mirren on Thursday (26 December), questions surrounding the manager’s future have continued to be asked with Kris Boyd suggesting his days are numbered.
With two games in the next week, the Gers will have to produce better performances and not drop points otherwise it could spell the end of the Belgian’s tenure at Ibrox.
As the pressure mounts, the boss will need top displays from all of his players although one player who has struggled at times this season is Jack Butland.
After bringing Greg Kiltie down in the penalty area, St Mirren took the lead and although the Gers were able to get back into it, they eventually lost the game.
Barry Ferguson has backed the goalkeeper to turn it around as he said on the Go Radio Football Show [27 December]: “There were two mistakes [v St Mirren]. If you ask me, and I know Jack Butland pretty well from bumping into him at Birmingham, I know that he will be hurting.
“He’ll know it was the wrong decision but he will come back stronger for that.”
Jack Butland has to prove he is a reliable goalkeeper
Butland’s mistake against St Mirren was certainly not the only reason they struggled in the game and there are plenty of issues that Clement needs to fix at Ibrox to secure his future at the club.
However, this isn’t the first time the goalkeeper has made a mistake this season and like on Thursday, he has cost his side goals at times.
At 31 years old and with plenty of experience under his belt, you would expect a higher level of performance from the player and with this in mind, Clement has to be looking at him and expressing the need for him to produce higher levels in the coming games as he looks to save his job.
However, it could also be argued that Butland’s poor moments are a reflection of his lack of confidence in the current Rangers side which in turn, points the finger back towards Clement.
Nevertheless, with two big games in the coming weeks, the Belgian has to make sure he and his squad are on top of their game unless he is prepared to leave his role.
In other Rangers news, Derek Ferguson has told Clement what must happen to avoid the sack.
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