'What's he done tonight?': Kris Boyd criticises six Rangers players after Dundee draw
18/04/2024 12:30
The phrase ‘bottle jobs’ is certainly overused in the modern game. But, still, it is difficult to explain away those defeats to Motherwell and Ross County, and Wednesday’s dismal goalless draw with Dundee, while coming to any conclusion other than that Philippe Clement’s side have choked at the worst possible moment with the glory in their sights.
In the blink of an eye, the ‘favourites’ tag has gone, from the blue side of Glasgow to the green.
And, just days after that Dingwall capitulation, Rangers have now wasted their trump card. This was supposed to be their game in hand. Their advantage over Celtic in an enthralling title race.
Consider that advantage squandered. A performance which – lets be honest – deserved nothing more than a single point leaving Rangers hanging onto the coattails of their Old Firm rivals at the top of the table with only five matches remaining.
For Kris Boyd, the former Gers striker, the biggest concern is that Clement’s side barely created a single ‘clear-cut’ chance at Dens Park. In fact, if it wasn’t for the trademark brilliance of Jack Butland, the gap at the summit may have become four points rather than three.
Kris Boyd critical as Rangers drop points at Dundee
“I didn’t really see any clear-cut (goalscoring opportunities), Boyd sighs on Sky Sports, the frontline of Fabio Silva, Todd Cantwell, Abdallah Sima and the returning Kemar Roofe failing to click on a disjointed night in Dundee.
“Rangers got into plenty of good positions in the pitch. Fabio Silva, there was (a chance) in the second as well and he was sleeping. When you get into those positions as a forward player, you’ve got to get on the move and make up the mind up of your winger.”
Silva, who also came in for criticism after a pretty ’embarrassing’ collection of dives in that 3-3 Celtic draw, has now managed only two goals in 13 league games since joining on loan from Wolves in January. Sima, despite that strike in the Old Firm derby, is yet to really rediscover his pre-injury form, while Roofe has hit the net only twice in the Scottish Premiership since the start of 2022/23.
Philippe Clement’s side draw a blank at Dens Park
“You are talking about big players stepping up,” says Boyd, who was also criticial of Cantwell, Tom Lawrence and second-half substitute Cyriel Dessers. “Cantwell, what has he done tonight again? Lawrence? You are looking for more.
“I think Sima – yes he is coming back from injury – but you are looking for more. Kemar Roofe, again, he’s not played football in a long time but Rangers never really created anything for him. He’s a penalty box striker. If you get the ball in there he has shown he will score goals.
“Desseres came on and it didn’t really work. From a forward point of view the substitutions were poor. Rangers have got problems at this moment in time.”
After winning 19 of their 21 league matches since former Monaco boss Clement took over from Mick Beale in the Ibrox dugout, Rangers are now on a run of one victory in five. It’s hard to think of a worse time for a team to run out of steam, a title which appeared to be within Rangers’ grasp only a few weeks ago now slipping out of reach.
