Philippe Clement claims Rangers winger Ross McCausland was “kicked off the pitch” due to a horror tackle in the Scottish Premiership defeat to Motherwell.
The Ibrox manager didn’t mince his words come full-time as the energy-sapping defeat v the Steelmen loosened the club’s grip on top spot in the Premiership.
The Gers fell to a 2-1 defeat against Stuart Kettlewell’s side, blowing a host of chances and failing to deal with both Motherwell goals.
But it’s clear Philippe Clement was unhappy with the protection afforded Ross McCausland come full time after the winger was forced of the park in the first half.
Philippe Clement on Ross McCausland tackle
Speaking to the press at full-time, Philippe Clement was clear and direct regarding his unhappiness at a Motherwell tackle on Ross McCausland.
The man who inflicted the horror challenge on the young Northern Irishman, Dan Casey, would then go on to score the eventual winner for Motherwell.
Clement also referred to other incidents where Rangers players have been sent off – likely to pointing to Dujon Sterling’s red card v Aberdeen in February – for less intense challenges.
“Ross is bad of course,” said Clement. “He’s kicked off the pitch.
“He’s just kicked off the pitch. There was no foul, no yellow card, no red card.
“If I see then the last couple of months the way we get red cards and I see this action, yeah, I don’t understand to be honest.
“That’s too much intensity and in the first half you need to take a player off because he cannot walk anymore, then you need to realise something really bad happened there, but clearly not.”
The Rangers manger then made a public appeal for referees to offer his players better protection: “I think players need to be much better protected. We have now already several players kicked off the pitch this season, so I think they need to be protected in a better way.”
Nothing new for Rangers fans v Motherwell
Welcome to Scotland, Philippe Clement.
Rangers fans are well used to hammer throwers being afforded more protection that actual football players and the Ross McCausland the tackle and injury is no surprise.
It feeds into this unspoken intimation that lesser sides are allowed to bend the rules – be that with overt physicality or time-wasting – in order to balance the scales against Rangers.
It’s been happening since day dot and as Ross McCausland joins Rangers’ mounting injury list, with Danilo and Todd Cantwell two players in particular who have succumbed to rigorous treatment from the opposition, it’s unlikely to change.
Let’s hope the comments of Philippe Clement heap the pressure on referees to better protect football players in Scotland but given it involves Rangers we highly doubt it.
Taking nothing away from Motherwell’s victory, you only need a quick glance online to understand the sentiment that professional Rangers players are viewed as fair game.
