Philippe Clement has publicly praised one Rangers defender for setting a good example for the rest of his teammates.
The Belgian has presided over 14 games as Ibrox boss now, which has included a deserved Viaplay Cup Final triumph over Aberdeen and progression to the last 16 of the Europa League.
Those objectives were met within the space of a few days and clearly highlights how huge an influence Clement has been on a squad that was flailing under Michael Beale at the start of the campaign.
Clement has had to navigate his way to early Rangers success amid constant frustration around injuries at the club. And it has meant plenty of rotation in terms of the manager’s starting XIs since his arrival.
Key players such as Jack Butland, James Tavernier and Connor Goldson have been constants throughout, although the latter was left out of the starting line-up for the home win over Dundee recently.
Connor Goldson Rangers attitude highlighted
Clement explained he was merely resting Goldson amid a very busy schedule and with important games coming up, which of course was a very sensible move.
And now, Clement has brought up that scenario again in his pre-St Johnstone press conference. He was initially discussing the importance of captain Tavernier as one of his ‘right-hand men’ at Rangers.
He then went on to talk up Goldson as a great example to the rest of the team. That’s because the Englishman didn’t whine over losing his place in the starting XI vs Dundee, which Clement stressed was very important for him going forward.
Clement said: “It’s important to have players on the pitch who understand the story. Not only the tactical story but also why you make decisions, why you change things.
“You see now, if I rotate eight players to keep everybody at their best level, they understand now. In the beginning you have to explain all those things. So, for sure, these guys need to understand and they also have to show a good example.
“A few weeks ago, Connor Goldson also missed one game. But he was ready to support the team and his behaviour was no different, starting or not starting. And those things are really important for a group of players.”
Connor Goldson Premiership stats 2023/24
- Appearances: 14
- Assists: 2
- Clean sheets: 9
- Accurate long balls per 90 mins: 6.4
- Pass accuracy: 87.2%
- Dribble success: 100%
(Stats as per Fotmob and Sofascore)
