Regardless of who Philippe Clement sent out to play a well drilled Queen’s Park side, Rangers should have had enough to win, and to win comfortably.
With a week to prepare the squad, there should have been no excuses, especially at Ibrox, and yet the manager contrived to send his team out in a manner that suggested that they had no idea what they were about to face.
One of many complaints about Clement is his substitutions, with the decision to take Ianis Hagi off when Rangers were needing a goal a particularly strange one.
Ianis Hagi frustrated at being subbed for Rangers
Hagi clearly wasn’t happy when he was removed, it looked like he was shaking his head all the way back to the dugout, such was his frustration.
One thing that the 26-year old has always done in his five years at the club, is set standards.
Against Queen’s Park, he was the only attacking player who was trying to make something happen rather than just playing safe passes from side to side.
Not everything came off, but at least he was trying.
Now, imagine you’re a playmaker capable of scoring goals and creating chances and see that you are about to be replaced by a defender.
With his Hagi’s contract up in the summer, this is the sort of thing that he will be thinking about when presented with an offer.
Is Clement a manager that he wants to play for and who truly appreciates him?
Alan Hutton questions Clement decision to sub Hagi
Speaking on Premier Sports TV after the game, Alan Hutton was bewildered at the decision to take the Romania international off:
“But even the substitutes. 60 minutes you take off Fernandes, Hagi and you bring on Yilmaz and Souttar. I don’t understand that, I don’t see the point in that.
“Hagi surely has got a a better opportunity to create a goal. So little things like that I don’t understand.
“It shouldn’t take going 1-0 down before you switch on and you’re at it. The last 10/15 minutes they threw everything at it but up until then not good enough.”
Hutton is right, it’s just a shame that Clement couldn’t see it too.
