Kris Boyd’s Rangers highlight v Hearts ‘sums everything up for Philippe Clement’
Kris Boyd’s Rangers highlight from the win over Hearts has certainly summed things up.
The Gers have had a tough season this term and performed well below the expected levels as they sit 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table.
The Light Blues’ disappointing form has left plenty of questions being posed about Philippe Clement’s future at Ibrox but, as it stands, the hierarchy are standing by the Belgian.
Kris Boyd names Jack Butland in Team of the Week
After crashing out of the Scottish Cup with a 1-0 loss against Queen’s Park, it was essential for the Gers to return to winning ways as they travelled to Hearts on Sunday (16 February).
Clement’s side did come away as 3-1 winners, although the scoreline is not entirely reflective of Rangers’ performance on the afternoon.
The Light Blues went ahead after 20 minutes thanks to a Jamie McCart own goal, before Hearts made it level early in the second half.
Vaclav Cerny gave his side the lead again before McCart scored another own goal to kill the game off in the 73rd minute.
The home side gave it their all throughout the afternoon and had a fair number of chances, while Jack Butland pulled off some impressive saves to keep his side in the game.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising to see Butland as the only Rangers player selected in Boyd’s Team of the Week for the Scottish Sun (17 February).
Rangers got lucky against Hearts
With two own goals to help them in their way to a 3-1 win as well as a penalty shout for Hearts after a Clinton Nsiala push that was not checked by VAR, it is fair to say that the Gers had a fairly lucky day on Sunday.
The Light Blues probably feel as though they deserve a bit of luck given all their struggles this term.
However, for Clement, he cannot use this victory to try and paper over the cracks.
Although his side came away with all three points, Hearts will feel incredibly hard done by as the side who looked more dangerous throughout the afternoon, and the fact that Butland was selected in the Team of the Week only highlights this to be the case.
If the Belgian wants to save his future at Ibrox then these standards simply are not acceptable and plenty of work needs to be done in order to raise the standards still in Glasgow.
Just because the Gers have little to play for this term does not mean the hierarchy can be relaxed in enforcing the expected standards throughout the club, and Clement has to be held to account for the levels he is delivering at Ibrox.