One of the accusations thrown at Rangers is that they lack leadership, from Philippe Clement and from those on the pitch.
James Tavernier is having his place in the team questioned with younger, sharper and more athletic players in the squad capable of stepping up, not that the manager has given them a chance to show what they can do just yet.
In the one game that Tavernier was rested, Jack Butland was given the armband, and the Rangers No.1 has given a fascinating insight into what went on in the dressing room at half-time.
Jack Butland knows Rangers have a long way to go
Speaking to Premier Sports after the game, Butland was under no illusions about the current situation, despite the win:
“That’s what this club is about, it’s about the result. Performance-wise, things to improve – we know that.
“We need to keep this resilience, and with the quality we’ve got we’ve got to keep fighting.
“A lot of people spoke [at half-time]. There’s a real desire to change things and do better.
“At this club we can’t give up. We need to keep pushing standards and making sure when we have disappointments, we bounce back.”
Clement reveals fragile Rangers mindset
At half-time, Rangers fans were sick of what they were watching, the same old faces making the same old mistakes.
The inevitable post-match press conferences awaited for a group of players led by a captain in poor form who thinks he is having a good season.
Clement didn’t do himself any favours after the defeat to Aberdeen either, claiming that it was one of the best performances of the season.
Speaking to the BBC, Clement went one further than Butland when discussing what happened att half-time:
“We started the game well, and I felt some nervousness, some doubts in half-time because we conceded the goal,” Clement said.
We spoke about what went well, and to raise our tempo and our level in the second half to break the wall. That’s what they did.”
Under previous managers like Walter Smith, Alex McLeish and Dick Advocaat, there was always a sense that, even if a goal was conceded, that games would still be won.
This team seems to have nobody driving them to higher standards on the pitch and need their manager to tell them what to do at half-time on too many occasions.
If they can’t follow instructions from the first whistle, they shouldn’t be starting.
