Following Hearts’ 2-0 defeat at Hampden Park, David Edgar responded to Steven Naismith’s pre-match Rangers comments.
Rangers advanced to the cup final against Celtic after an improved effort led by Cyriel Dessers scoring twice.
Naismith had earlier commented to the poor Gers form via BBC Sport Scotland (18 April), saying: “I think it’s unexpected, surprised, I’m not sure, there’s some players who’ve been there over the years and failed to win trophies…”
“I believe they have had some luck in their recent games. That game, for example [2-1 versus Hearts, 29 October] and a number of others, but they’re a team that plays a certain
Following the cup victory, Edgar responded, “Never did know when to keep his mouth shut.”
Rangers book a Celtic final after Cyriel Dessers scored against Hearts.
Pointed statements ahead of a big game are always likely to come back and haunt a manager, as they have with Naismith.
But, in his defence, what he said wasn’t necessarily incorrect, even if he was going out on a limb given that his side was thrashed 5-0 at Ibrox in the previous meeting on February 24, were beaten 3-1 at the same stage of the Viaplay Cup final on November 5, and have never won against Rangers at Hampden in 16 attempts.
Join the Ibrox News WhatsApp channel to receive all of our unique content and breaking transfer news first.
For months, it appeared that Clement had the magic key to unleash the best in almost every player at Ibrox, as he overcame Michael Beale’s poor start to win the first trophy of the season and re-enter the title chase.
Steven Naismith’s words on the Rangers come back to bite him.
However, the Light Blues dropped 10 points from 15 since March, giving Celtic the title advantage and causing them to exit the Europa League. This suggests that they were over-performing previously and that success requires chance.
The summer is expected to see a significant player turnover due to the team’s poor performance. However, a recent victory has given them a slim chance of achieving a domestic triple.
Clement’s line-up adjustments, including the removal of Connor Goldson, resulted in a positive reaction from his players at Hampden. The Belgian team qualified for the final with little luck.
GET MORE RELATED CONTENTS ON LIFESTYLE.NET
Leave a Reply