Clement makes big change to Rangers’ Connor Barron | OneFootball

We’ve been extremely critical of Philippe Clement as Ibrox Noise regulars are well aware, with many of you completely agreeing with what we’ve been illustrating.

However, in a rare and probably welcome change for the Happy Clappers (sorry) Ibrox Noise can offer the man some praise, after making a big Rangers change we needed to see.

While fellow fans have been disagreeing with Ibrox Noise that Connor Barron wasn’t completely ready and needed a break from the front line, and that the pressure was too great for a kid who had only been a bit-part player at Aberdeen, we stood by this.

And it seems that Philippe Clement agreed, even if he probably didn’t read our piece on it!

Taking Barron out of the front line v St Johnstone and giving him a cameo later in that match is exactly the role he needs for now – the boy isn’t ready to be a stalwart starter for Rangers, even though we do like him a lot.

He isn’t big, isn’t that strong, isn’t that quick – he’s a very very hard worker and very much reminds us of Rino Gattuso who was just a mischief, even if he didn’t actually play that role under Dick Advocaat’s Rangers.

That’s the role Rino played for Milan in midfield, where he spent most of his career, but he was a physically stronger lad and became that powerhouse as he got older, stronger and wiser.

Barron isn’t there yet – he is a truly great lad and it’s hard to be critical of him; it’s more Clement who became too reliant on him and he wasn’t ready to have that demand over him.

We need Barron’s involvement to be a bit more sparing – hopefully Clement is seeing this now, and doesn’t stick him in every single match as he had been doing.

He was right to bench the lad and give him a little cameo instead, and that’s what we think he needs to vary with.

Some might say ‘can’t cope with the pressure? But it’s Rangers’!

And they’re absolutely right, but in midfield, at his age, you have to be a special type who can be a Barry Barry or a Ryan Jack, or even an in-form Glen Kamara who can handle it that quickly, that easily, and still perform consistently for this club.

Barron was a fringe player at Aberdeen, and as great a wee player he is, he needs help in midfield, which he doesn’t have much of at Rangers and he sure can’t do it alone.

Until there’s an alpha midfielder to take pressure off him and give him the Rino role, Rangers and Clement have to be careful with how much they use him.

He has a great future, and Sunday was a good sign of how to manage him.