Tom Lawrence decision ‘baffles’ as Rangers XI confirmed v Hearts
Philippe Clement is teetering on the edge of being sacked as Rangers travel to face Hearts on Sunday.
The pressure is building on Patrick Stewart to pull the trigger on the Belgian’s time at Ibrox, though supporters are still making the trip to Tynecastle Park on 16 February.
Should the Gers lose to Hearts following the embarrassing Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park, it could be all over for him, and he has now made a questionable decision ahead of the clash.
Clement has made five changes from the Scottish Cup defeat, with Liam Kelly, Rafael Fernandes, Robin Propper, Bailey Rice and Nedim Bajrami all dropping out of the lineup [X].
Philippe Clement could regret starting Tom Lawrence
Coming into the team alongside Jack Butland, John Souttar, Clinton Nsiala and Nico Raskin, fans have been left baffled by the decision to start Tom Lawrence.
The Welshman has made just seven league starts this season, having been plagued by injury for yet another campaign, and many fear the same will happen if he plays against Hearts.
There is no denying how talented the 31-year-old is once he’s firing on all cylinders, but that has rarely happened since moving to Ibrox in a free transfer in July 2022.
He has played just 58 times since then.
Rangers boss on the brink of Ibrox exit
Despite a good run of games in the Scottish Premiership recently, and impressing in the Europa League against the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United, all the good work has been undone.
Being knocked out of the Scottish Cup by a team in the Championship is totally unacceptable, with many baffled by Stewart’s decision not to sack Clement immediately after the defeat.
Throwing Lawrence straight back into the lineup after struggling to remain fit for a long period of time looks to be just another silly decision that the Belgian has made this season.
It could be a decision that comes back to bite him, though Cyriel Dessers and Bajrami will be ready to come on from the bench and make an instant impact.
Unless the Light Blues return to Ibrox with all three points, Clement must be fearing that this could be his final game in charge as the pressure continues to grow.