Rangers legend Ally McCoist admits he is still baffled by Mick Beale’s decision to omit the likes of Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence from his European roster earlier in the season.
The mood at Ibrox could hardly be more different these days. Philippe Clement’s arrival a ray of sunlight piercing through the dark clouds that had gathered in the Ibrox sky during the final few weeks of the Mick Beale era, with Thursday’s 2-1 win over Sparta Prague another big step in the right direction for a revitalised, rejuvenated Rangers roster.
The excellent Danilo scored the opener and set up Todd Cantwell’s second on the night, Rangers exploding out of the blocks and eventually crossing the finishing line, refusing to stumble over the final hurdle during a late Sparta fightback.
McCoist, meanwhile, could hardly be more glowing in his praise for Rangers’ new boss, the three-time Belgian league champion winning five of his six games in charge thus far.
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“Rangers have looked a different side,” McCoist beamed during TNT Sport’s live coverage. “(Clement’s side have) enthusiasm, ability, determination. Guys like (Abdallah) Sima, Cantwell, (Borna) Barisic have had a bit of a lift.
“Even when Sparta came into the contest in the second half, Rangers were able to ride it out and stood firm where they may have crumbled not long ago.”
McCoist was certainly a lot less positive when reminded about one of the many mistakes Beale made before losing his seat in the Ibrox dugout, potential matchwinners like Kemar Roofe, Ianis Hagi and Tom Lawrence left out of the squad ahead of that 5-1 hammering by PSV Eindhoven in August’s Champions League qualifiers.
A decision which still confuses McCoist to this day.
“It baffles me,” the iconic centre-forward adds.
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According to Football Scotland, Beale had reservations about whether the injury-prone Roofe and Lawrence would be able to cope with a two-game-a-week schedule. And while there is some logic to such an argument, two of the club’s most technically-gifted, most creative outlets certainly could have come in very handy during a one-off, make-or-break encounter like against PSV.
