“Philippe Clément has brought a quality to the club that we haven't had for a long time. He has brought a confidence and found a way to work the players that haven't been functioning well. It is good..."
These words are coming from Rangers FC legend Mark Hateley, who is clearly impressed by the work former Belgium international Philippe Clement has delivered since taking over at Ibrox in mid-October following a run of disappointing results.
“It's never easy to come into a club the way Philippe Clement has done, but he has managed to drill his image of how he wants his team to play into the players in a short space of time. We remember him as a no-nonsense player. He is expecting the same sort of values as a coach and he is projecting that onto the team. You see that very clearly," Hateley told Tribalfootball.com on behalf of NewBettingOffers.co.uk ahead of Saturday's Old Firm derby against Brendan Rodgers' Celtic.
“We are now winning games, even when not playing well. We are winning because we are being stubborn. We are doing the basic things right again", says the former Rangers FC topscorer who enjoyed immense success during a five-year stint at Ibrox from 1990 until 1995. While not quite at that level yet, Clement has clearly brought a new atmosphere to Ibrox, according to Hateley.
“The atmosphere in both the dressing room and on the pitch has clearly changed. The belief that we are going to win games even when not playing well, which we didn't do under Michael Beale.
“Results breed confidence, everybody knows confidence is the key to everything, whatever you are doing. Confident players bring an air to the dressing room. That makes everything grow around you," tells Hateley who knows a thing or two about how good results breed more good results. During his first stint with the club, Hateley won the Scottish title in all five seasons.
This season the title already looked to have slipped away from Gers as the club went into an international break with three defeats from eight games and a seven-point gap to Celtic. 10 games later and the gap has been cut to five points with two games in hand and another Old Firm derby coming up. The 10 games have brought nine wins and no further defeats, but did Hateley truly believe Rangers were going the close the gap?
“To be honest, not really. Like a lot of people, I thought it was catchable. But the key period would be this period because of the eight games in December leading up to the break. Success in the League Cup was key to build on. And Philippe is now taking us into an Old Firm game believing we can go to Parkhead and win.
“Now we can win from playing badly or we can win playing good football, as we saw against Real Betis in the Europa League. You get the basics in defending right, then you can go and beat a good side. That is the kind of persona Clement has brought to the football club. He is a big physical 'beast' and has that presence, you know, which can rub off on everybody around you."
Todd Cantwell is one of the players who have blossomed during Clement's short reign, and Hateley believes the former Norwich player can play a big role against Celtic, “if he plays with discipline.
“Under Philippe, he will have to play with a lot of discipline. Just look at how John Lundstram is now playing with the discipline he has, and he is playing a good game too. When Philippe came in, Cantwell was taken off before half-time in one game, which is never a good sign for one of your star players. But the message is getting through to him. And Todd Cantwell's game can go to another level. He has that creative ability. He has that burst of speed and the quickness of feet," says Hateley who is not happy with the decision to exclude fans of the away side at Old Firm encounters.
“The governing body has to step in here. I thought you always had to offer a percentage of tickets to all travelling clubs. Rangers and Celtic are big, big, big teams and they have big followings. In my time, we used to have one end of the stadium, which brought an atmosphere that was second to none. Obviously, the home team has the advantage, but it also gives the travelling team a feeling of 'everybody is against us'. For the beauty of the game, travelling fans should always be allowed into games," says Hateley who is expecting a tight game.
“I think there will be goals. It will be 2-1 either way. If both teams bring their A-game, we are in for a good one. The pressure is on Celtic and they are not playing well. They could find themselves a goal down early, as Rangers have been scoring goals very, very quickly. Rangers go into this very confident on the back of three clean sheets. That makes Rangers slight favourites in my eyes," the former targetman offers as a parting salute.
- Mark Hately was speaking to Tribalfootball.com on behalf of www.NewBettingOffers.co.uk.
