Rangers manager accuses some Scottish teams of being ‘afraid’ to play

Rangers manager accuses some Scottish teams of being ‘afraid’ to play

Rangers manager accuses some Scottish teams of being ‘afraid’ to play

THE Aberdeen fans who will file through the turnstiles at Ibrox this evening will be optimistic of

seeing an immediate upturn in form due to the arrival of the vastly-experienced and straight-

talking Neil Warnock as interim manager. Philippe Clement, whose Rangers team will leapfrog

Celtic into top spot in the cinch Premiership table if they beat their Pittodrie rivals by three goals,

has high expectations for his opposite number as well. He is hoping that Warnock is bolder than a

few of his top flight counterparts, is eager for his players to go on the offensive and entertain their

supporters, is unprepared for his charges to sit back, defend in numbers and try and score on the

counter attack.

Picking collecting the Glen’s Manager of the Month for January award at Auchenhowie, the Belgian

admitted he has been disappointed by the negative approach used by many of the sides he has faced domestically since he got to Scotland back in October.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Clement made his remarks during the weekend’s league

matchup with Livingston in Govan. In a 3-0 loss, the Almondvale club in last position was unable to

win a corner or register a single attempt on goal. Over the duration of the ninety minutes, they also only had two touches of the ball in the rival box.

But Clement is aware that the West Lothian team, which is in danger of relegation, is not by any

means alone. What I hope for Scottish football is that new managers have the courage to play,” he stated. “I believe that step needs to be made there. I watch instances where teams are capable of playing football at a higher level than they do, but they are occasionally afraid to try.I occasionally observe how they are technically constructed during the warm-up. So it’s not visible to me in the game. After all, I find it somewhat unfortunate.

One more step needs to be taken. It is undoubtedly better now than it was ten years ago or so. However, I still need to think through a step. Teams can be divided into those that take initiative and those that are hesitant to take risks.

Cynics would argue that it is simple for Clement to criticize a manager for exercising caution given the significantly larger budget he has to deal with. They will also suggest that if Clement were in charge of a team playing Rangers, he would take the exact same action.

But the 49-year-old emphasized that in his coaching career, he has never “parked the bus.” Not when he was first arriving at his native Waasland-Beveren and Genk.

Not during his tenure as manager of Club Brugge in the Champions League group stages, when they were up against formidable European teams like Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

He acknowledged that occasionally, “people say it is not possible.” “I experienced that during my initial weeks at Waasland-Beveren. “Coach, we cannot do that,” my players said when they arrived. However, I believe that everyone can play more at this level rather than just responding if they practice and work on it.

I have to go all the way back, but I don’t think I actually did it. nor against Paris Saint-Germain, nor with Brugge in Madrid, none of those teams. However, they are decisions that clubs must make; it is not my responsibility to alter football in other clubs.”

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