Craig Moore stirs it up in internal Ibrox war

Craig Moore believes that questions have to be asked about Ibrox duo Ben Davies and Ridvan Yilmaz.

Behind the run of three humiliating defeats there appears to be a battle getting waged over the summer recruitment programme, described in July by Keith Jackson as imaginative but now known as scattergun.

At the heart of the issue is the £10m defensive duo who are unable to get a look-in despite the flow of goals that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are losing.

Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo were both certain starters in the second half of last season but despite receiving almost £20m for that duo they haven’t been replaced.

The new Ajax man covered two positions in defence but his places in the side has gone to bomb-scare Borna Barisic with on-loan American midfielder James Sands shoe-horned in alongside Connor Goldson as the defence capitulates on a game by game basis.

Listening to Moore on Go Radio, the Daily Record reports:

You can understand when he (Van Bronckhorst) is saying he is going to pick his best 11, whoever that may be, 100 per cent. When you are the manager that is what you need to do. Whoever you think are the best 11, the best prepared for that particular match.

I think where fans are scratching their heads a little bit is when you bring in and you recruit players you’re looking to improve that best 11. Leon King, who I’m a big fan of, I think he’s a real competitor and has a right chance of having a really good career for himself. He comes on in what is a massive, massive game which is great confidence from the manager through to the player to trust him.

But you’ve got a player who you’ve signed for £4million on the bench. And if he is on the bench, for me, you’re fit and ready to go. And then you’ve got Ridvan Yilmaz who is another £6million. For me, he’s behind Barisic.

The strong implication at Ibrox is that Ross Wilson is driving transfer policy with the team manager far from impressed by the seven additions made to the squad while Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent run down their contracts.

Davies and Yilmaz have both started one SPFL match and watched the Champions League twice from the bench as van Bronckhorst turned to Leon King to shore up his defence with ‘the world’s best midfielder’ John Lundstram put into defence ahead of Davies.