You would think, at this point in Philippe Clement’s tenure, Rangers would have an answer to opponents such as Sunday’s Scottish Cup conquerers Queen’s Park.
You would think, given the creative talents of Ianis Hagi, James Tavernier, Vaclav Cerny and Nedim Bajrami – plus Hamza Igamane’s formidable presence at centre-forward – Rangers would have done a lot more to test the heroic Calum Ferrie beyond a few hopeful set-pieces and a missed penalty in stoppage time.
You would think, a year-and-a-half after he replaced Mick Beale in the Ibrox dugout, Philippe Clement would have constructed a team capable of avoiding such humiliation.
For Andy Halliday, the former Rangers midfielder who could barely bring himself to peak through his fingers as Seb Drozd secured one of the most shocking Scottish Cup upsets of the modern age, this was simply a confirmation of something he had suspected for a while now.
A theory proven, Halliday argues, by the sight of Hagi, Cerny and even star striker Igamane dropping deeper and deeper in a desperate attempt to get their foot on the ball and make something, anything, happen.
Andy Halliday baffled as Rangers lose to Queen’s Park
“Queen’s Park were so comfortable in how they defended the game. Rangers, as a team, showed zero urgency until they went 1-0 down,” Halliday fumes. “Any meaningful chances Rangers created came in the last 10, 15 minutes.
“Rangers have good players but they are a ‘moments’ team. They’ve always been a team who are flashy in moments but really poor for a half and drop points.
“I have watched Rangers every week for so long, and I couldn’t tell you what they do in the build-up. I couldn’t tell you what they do in midfield, and I couldn’t tell you how they break down a block.
“I could talk you through everything Celtic do because it’s so apparent. When I see Rangers, it’s so off the cuff.”
Rangers mustered only nine shots on target against their Championship opponents. One of those being the penalty Tavernier missed deep into injury time.
The majority of those remaining eight attempts, meanwhile, were speculative efforts from distance, such as those hit more in hope than expectation by Cerny and Igamane in the second-half.
This is not the first time Halliday has witnessed Rangers attempt to hammer their way through at a time when an expert lock picker is required.
Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi prove Philippe Clement theory in Rangers defeat
That Clement’s charges are 13 points behind Celtic in what has become a ‘title race’ in name only owes much to the points dropped against the likes of Kilmarnock, St Mirren and, just a month ago, Dundee. Opposition which may lack Rangers’ sheer quality, but found a way to frustrate a team who appear to have no idea how to make their superiority count.
“Queen’s Park have 11 players behind the ball, and Ianis Hagi is dropping into midfield because he can’t get the ball. Vaclav Cerny is coming inside to get the ball. Igamane is playing centre midfield because he can’t get the ball!,” a bemused Halliday adds.
“You look at proper teams with a proper structures and a style, they know they can get their good players in certain areas of the pitch so they stay where and trust they can find them. I just don’t think Rangers have that.
“Rangers struggle against teams that sit in and frustrate. When Rangers need to come up with answers, I think that’s where they really struggle. Again, I do put that down to style. I don’t see much in terms of rotations or trying to play through the middle of the pitch.
“‘Get the ball to James Tavernier, get the ball to Ianis Hagi and swing balls into the box’. That’s what I see when I see them playing against teams in a low block.”
