3

3

Rangers in Europe on Thursday nights, and Rangers back home at weekends.

Don’t ask me to explain why there’s such a difference.

It would be easier to crack the Enigma code.

And make no mistake, this team of Phillipe Clement’s is the ultimate enigma for Gers fans.

They were terrific in Nice on Thursday night. A 4-1 win against a side that hadn’t lost at home all season.

A team currently sitting fifth in France’s Ligue 1.

It’s incredible to think of the performance they put in, especially if you contrast it to the drab draw with Dundee United at Ibrox last Saturday.

I was at Ibrox and it was arguably as bad as I’ve seen.

The performance in the 1-1 draw with United wasn’t a one-off either.

I have been very critical of this Gers side’s domestic performances for a number of months.

I just don’t see them creating anything at home. The strikers are starved of service.

Clement needs to find a way to take the European displays into the Premiership. They have three stuffy opponents in the next seven days in St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Ross County.

Saints and Staggies are away from home, and Gers have toiled for goals on the road all season.

It’s amazing to think they scored three in the first half in Nice, but have just two away from home in the league.

They ended up with four and might have got eight. Gers fans are scratching their heads, and Clement must do something to change it.

He dropped Cyriel Dessers in Nice and brought in Hamza Igamane.

The Moroccan striker took his chance with two goals an assist, and some really good hold-up play.

It’s not been an easy time for Igamane.

He’s had to bide his time for a chance. A few Gers fans were getting carried away when he had that little cameo off the bench in the 1-0 win at Tannadice.

They expected him to kick on from there.

It hadn’t really been the case until Thursday night.

To be honest, I’m still loath to say Igamane will be the No 9 every week going forward.

I don’t see that swagger right now.

All I see is a team struggling — and I don’t get it.

Of course, it can be difficult to play at Ibrox when things aren’t going well and when there’s negativity flying around.

But so many of these players seem to struggle with the pressure domestically.

That pressure seems to be lifted off their shoulders when they perform in the Europa League on Thursday nights.

The role of underdog appears to suit many of them.

Having less of the ball and striking opponents on the counter-attack seems to suit them, too.

They create chance after chance on their travels and they are now above Manchester United and Spurs in the Europa League table.

Clement has to find a way to translate that Thursday form to weekends.

Gers have to inflict punishment on Premiership teams the way they do to top Euro sides.

In Nice, they looked technically good, and created chance after chance.

Gers need to take that form from the Cote d’Azur all the way to McDiarmid Park Sunday lunchtime.

As they were winning in France, the problems were mounting for Hearts — and Lawrence Shankland — over the border in Belgium.

The Jambos captain missed a penalty at 1-0 down to Cercle Brugge, and they ultimately lost 2-0.

But the boos from the 3,000 Hearts fans towards Shankland were horrible.

Frankly, those supporters should know better.

Yes, it’s a team game — but Shankland’s goals more or less single-handedly fired the Jambos into Europe in the first place.

I’ve always been sceptical of criticising goalscorers because they can shut you up in an instant. I just hope Shankland now silences those who had a go at him.

Nobody has done more than him for Hearts in recent times. I know his contract is running down and he recently said he was more out than in.

But this is a player who didn’t bang the table and try to demand a move away when things were going well last season.

Shankland could have become really awkward and tried to force something through — but he didn’t.

Last year, everything he touched turned to gold.

This term, he’s having a tough time, as we all do at times, and he needs support, not the kind of ridiculous criticism he received from Hearts fans in Bruges on Thursday night.

Shankland will knuckle down, work hard on the training ground and keep going, it might take something to hit off him and fly in.

Those fans who had a go at him need to have a long, hard look at themselves.

Read more at…