Former Rangers striker and now Hearts head coach Steven Naismith pulled no punches when describing Rangers under Philippe Clement as lucky, and implied that that luck has run out while calling out long term players at Rangers who have failed to win much.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s semi-final at Hampden, the former darling of Ibrox turned club nemesis related strongly to the pressure at Rangers, and how tough a club it is to thrive at, but hinted that this manager is not doing so.
He said:
“It’s unexpected – surprised, though, I’m not so sure. There are a number of players who have been there over the years but failed to win trophies. From my own experiences, it’s a tough club, a tough environment, but for any player when you win trophies it feels great. Doing it is the hard part.”
He’s fair on the money, doing it at Rangers is tough, and pressured, as Barry Ferguson explained some months/years ago.
He went on:
“I don’t think it’s something that’s happened overnight. When we got beat 2-1, we were winning at 90 minutes. What we did up to that point in the game was good and we caused them a lot of problems. I think in their run of games they have carried a bit of luck as well. That game for instance and a couple of others. They are a team that plays a certain way and like every team the style may not change but if the personnel is not right the game plays out slightly differently.”
We admit that yes, luck has been a factor – and funnily enough manager Philippe Clement has confirmed that by suggesting that recently we have been unlucky. Well, in that case then luck was a factor, no?
In terms of what Naismith said, as much as it does sound a bit bitter and maybe a speck ‘tim-like’ there is a lot of truth in it too, and a lot of fans lately have been saying similar things.
Naismith was a Rangers man all the way, but the way 2012 happened stained it and made him a pariah, and he was never accepted again. We’re pretty sure he’s just a football man and these days, a Hearts man.
As for these comments? We’d say ‘pin them on the dressing room wall’ but we’re not sure what impact that would have on this workshy squad led by a man cracking under the pressure.