As they sit back and enjoy a six match domestic winning run Gary Keown has warned Philippe Clement about the serial underachievers in his squad.
The former Monaco boss has steered his side clear of any further mishap after they lost three of their first eight matches at home with defeat from Aberdeen at Ibrox one to many for Micky Beale.
Led by James Tavernier the usual suspects have upped their games to give Clement the same sort of start that Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale enjoyed.
When you added seven summer signings to your £64m wage bill from last season you should be able to beat Livingston and Hearts with hope rekindled among most of the Gullible & Deluded.
Keown of the Daily Mail isn’t convinced, he can recall the patterns set up under previous managers with the despair and disappointment of reality still fresh in his mind from previous Revolutions!
Spelling out the reality that trips to Aberdeen, Hearts, Betis and Celtic could bring before the end of the year Keown tells Mail readers:
The gloves are off with the likes of Tavernier, Connor Goldson, Borna Barisic, Ryan Jack and the others who have survived several regimes. This season has to serve up something considerably more substantial than recent times or they all have to leave, because the new boss isn’t — and can’t be — going anywhere soon.
The likes of Kemar Roofe, Tom Lawrence and John Souttar have to prove they can get fit and stay fit. Or they have to go.
Ben Davies has been an empty jersey since he pitched up for £4m. Same goes for other expensive arrivals such as Rabbi Matondo and Ridvan Yilmaz. Right now, Cyriel Dessers, Jose Cifuentes and Sam Lammers are following them down the same well-worn path.
Others such as Todd Cantwell and Nico Raskin need to rediscover the form they showed when they first arrived too.
Adding to the £64m wage bill in January would be an act of madness but that is often the ‘strategy’ at Ibrox as they go all out to Stoap Selik whatever it takes.
Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Allan McGregor and Filip Helander would have been well paid but enticing Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers from Italy wouldn’t have been cheap with their agents well aware of how much top earners Kemar Roofe and John Lundstram are picking up every week.
Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling arrived as free agents from the English Championship with the lack of a transfer fee factored into their wages.
It is wishful thinking that any of the Ibrox flops will be in demand elsewhere, only those out of contract are likely to exit leaving Clement to continue working his magic on Tavernier and Goldson to turn things around.
Those two are working under their fourth manager in 25 months, they know the survival drill and the soundbites to give out when they get a bounce in results out of Clement’s successor. It is a script that both have got word perfect, backed up by the security of the long term deals they signed in the summer of 2022.
“Expensive arrivals” – You can bet your boots that if it was Celtic in Sevco’s shoes they’d be described as “Expensive Flops” –
Still nice to see an odd one speak some home truths about Sevco…
Even if it is a tad mealy mouthed it’s still better than the usual Scottish Football Media pass the sick bucket love in with them !