Oh ye of little faith, take your pick from the pundits across Scottish football that doubted Rangers manager Philippe Clement’s handling of Todd Cantwell’s early substitution in midweek.
Did he hook the wrong player? Yes. But how the Gers boss dealt with the press and the player has been hugely impressive.
Rangers went with an experienced manager in Philippe Clement to replace Michael Beale, someone who has won trophies and knows how to get the best out of a squad, and as he has shown this week, we have a boss who even the most free spirited respect.
Rangers have right man in charge in Philppe Clement
Cantwell was clearly raging when he was taken off against Aris Limassol with just over an hour played.
The Gers number 13 had huffed and puffed but wasn’t following the boss’ orders and paid the ultimate price.
Lesson learned.
When Rangers appointed Philippe Clement, he spoke about honesty and it is clear that a conversation has taken place between the two, not a one way conversation that managers of the past would use to get their way.
There is definitely something akin to Walter Smith in Clement’s manner.
Remember when Kris Boyd was hooked at half-time in a Scottish Cup final?
He has standards, he is a winner, but he is also approachable and able to take emotion out of the most delicate situations.
It could have been a hugely stressful week, say the wrong thing and the headlines write themselves.
Instead, just a few days later and Todd Cantwell has been the match winner when other managers would have kept him on the bench to prove a point.
You can’t have an ego as Rangers manger and Philippe Clement has set a standard without picking on a popular player or being stubborn.
He was right to take Cantwell off for not doing what he was instructed and he was right to play him at number ten against St Mirren.
We have a proper manager and one we can trust to get the big calls right.
