Clement on angry Rangers dressing room and 'perfect problem' example

What are your thoughts on the match?

With the ball we started with good intentions from the start. In the first half there was a lot of movement with the ball with good combination play but not enough efficiency in the final third. There were a lot of positive things but not without the ball in the first half. At the end of the first half, we came out behind although we were better on the ball. That’s of no use if you aren’t good enough without the ball. So I was really angry about that at half-time because football – and they know – is about both sides. In the second half, you saw what they can do if they are focussed on both things. But I cannot make myself angry every half time or before every game. That’s impossible. It needs to come out of the team. They need to understand that and take confidence.  This is the perfect example today. Booed off the pitch at half-time. And a lot of applause after the game because people how they saw the team playing, how the scored and how aggressive they were in the duels and how they didn’t concede in the second half. This is the perfect example. I am going to put a lot of attention to that again to get it out of these last two games. But it needs to come out of the players. 

What causes that change?

That’s a difficult one because it’s a personal one. It’s not also about 11 players in the first half. These are individual things. The players, and I told them also, if you want to play for a team like Rangers, that’s the basics. That needs to be there every time. 

If you want to play for a team who ends in the (bottom) half of the league, yes you can have one moment yes and one moment no. Here it’s all the time, switched on, aggressive in everything you do, with and without the ball. We need to build a squad like that where everybody has this internal fire to do it every day and in every game.

Where you surprised you didn’t see that fire from the start?

I saw fire, but with the ball. I saw a lot of movement, saw a lot of quality and without fire you cannot do that. It was there. But not enough without the ball. The game of football is not played only with the ball. That was an important one for today but it is a message that has been spread around already a few times. They need to take these lessons in a better way and a more consistent way.

Were you happy with Todd Cantwell’s display?

I was very happy with his second half, yeah. That is the Todd I want to see every time. Then he makes the difference, then he makes stats, then he is important for this club. It needs to be this fire, desire every time, with and without the ball not only one thing.

Is it frustrating that players have it in them but don’t always show it?

Yes but look where we were six months ago. We need to be realistic about that. We need to be realistic about that, where the squad was six months ago, where they are now. You need to see also the age of the team that was on the pitch today, that started and that ended the game also. We are working hard, they are working hard, I cannot say anything about that the last six months about working and we need work. They need to take the right lessons to be really top, top players and to become a top, top club. We are going to work hard altogether to get that. You see again today the potential but being a top player, and that is the difference when you look at the Premier League, the top players are the ones who are there every time with and without the ball. Both, not one thing.

Do the young players have a chance to force themselves into your plans?

Of course. It is not that suddenly they come falling out of the sky and they can play this position and can play in the team and they know where to run or what to do. We are working from October, from the first day, on the integration of all the young lads, we are busy with that also for next season and also guys who are not in the selection today to get them into the squad. It is an important thing. They have been training a lot with us to get the principles, to understand the demand in the first team. All of these things. Players like Johnly were on the bench for example, Cole trained also several times as right full-back, it is not something new for him but I know his best position is in midfield. We need sometimes to plan in advance to find solutions and he needs to do that in training. For example, Ross McCausland last season trained five times with the first team. Five trainings with the first team. You cannot be ready to step in. We are busy with this programme to get integration into the first team as much as possible in our training. It cannot be all the time. They are involved and in that way they know what to do and they feel safe and good in this environment. It is not like suddenly Cole McKinnon or Robbie Fraser needs to play with Tavernier next to them. They have so many times in the dressing room together, so many times on the training pitch together that they feel comfortable with them. The other guys also. They know the qualities. We are going to continue with that. It is a major part. We said this club comes out of a financial difficult situation and it is not a good situation to have six players out of contract so they don’t have any value to sell and then you need to make decisions if they stay or not. The club needs for the future to get also money in by producing or making players better, getting young players in and to make them better to sell them. Also for sure out of the academy making players who can be starters in the first team. That needs to be a model that we will build the next couple of years, it is not the work of one week, two weeks, six months, or even one year or two years. It is an important thing and it was important we gave chances to Ross to be a symbol of the Academy and out of that Cole, Robbie and Johnly and the others they feel it is also possible and it gives belief. That is what they are showing. Does it mean they are ready to start every game and to play every game? Not yet. But I hope they are going to challenge all the others. For me it is not important how old somebody is.

Was it precautionary to replace Ridvan?

The medical staff told me maximum 60, they preferred 45. I thought at half-time it was important to have him with his qualities also. That is another example, a player coming out of injury doing good things with the ball. With the first goal, he forgets our principles and the contact in the 16 and we get a goal against. He comes out of injury so he needs to get rhythm. It will be in his head for the next two games like when he played really good games. It is about learning out of those situations. It was the plan to take him out after 45 or 60.