Sport journalist Clive Lindsay, Rangers manager Phillipe Clement has a “golden opportunity” to win the club’s first League Cup trophy in 12 years.
The Gers take on Hearts in the semi-final of the competition on Sunday (5 November), with Hampden Park hosting the match.
Clement’s Rangers defeated the Edinburgh outfit 2-1 in their Scottish Premiership encounter at Ibrox last Sunday (29 October)
Philippe Clement has steered Rangers out of the choppy waters that engulfed predecessor Michael Beale and two late goals avoided what would have been a mini-crisis had they lost at home to their Hampden opponents last weekend,” Lindsay wrote for BBC Sport (3 November).
“However, the Belgian will realise that missing a golden opportunity to secure Rangers’ first League Cup in 12 years with holders Celtic already out of the competition would not go down well with the fans or board.”
Not many managers have the opportunity to clinch silverware when they come into a new club, but Clement now has that chance at Rangers.
Plenty of credit must go to Beale for getting the Gers here in the first place, but now it is up to his successor to take them over the line.
A Hearts side looking for revenge does, however, stand in his way, with Steven Naismith and his players certain to be angry after what happened in the last meeting between the two clubs.
Rangers picked up all three points in their meeting at Ibrox last weekend, having been trailing 1-0 for the majority of the match.
But late, late goals from James Tavernier and Danilo secured a dramatic win, with Hearts boss Naismith not happy at the decision to award the hosts a penalty, which Tavernier scored.
Clement will have moved on from that win, with another victory against Hearts the only thing on his mind at this moment in time.
