Let’s be honest, good news stories have been a bit thin on the ground lately around Ibrox.
For all sorts of reasons it’s been a difficult start to the season on and off the pitch and, at times, it’s felt like one kick in the teeth after the next. But amongst all the doom and gloom, one man in particular is providing my old club with a bit of a shining light. Big John Souttar has been through the ringer himself over the years with all sorts of potentially career threatening injuries.
From the day he arrived at Rangers it’s felt like he’s been fighting a constant battle just to get himself up to full speed and get some regular games under his belt. And that’s why I’m genuinely so pleased for him now that he’s finally emerging as the central defender that the rest of us always hoped he would become.
Souttar has been a real stand out for Philippe Clement since the start of the campaign – it’s fair to say he’s probably the most consistent performer in the Belgian’s squad. So there was something really satisfying about seeing him reclaim his place in Scotland ’s defence against Croatia and Portugal and reproduce that same form in a dark blue shirt.
He looked like he was destined to be an international player from his early days breaking through at Dundee United. My only concern at that time was that he might be a bit lightweight physically to make the grade as a top level centre half.
He got his move to Hearts and then came the injury problems which didn’t just interrupt his progression – they very nearly put him out of the game altogether. To suffer one ruptured achilles is bad enough for any player. But Souttar suffered the same thing three times and kept coming back for more.
That tells you a lot about his mentality and his desire to succeed. And that’s what’s been shining through him over the last few months as he has emerged as a real key man in this Rangers squad.
At the age of 28, he’s not a young kid anymore. But, with that maturity, he has grown into a real presence at the heart of the Rangers defence. He’s certainly not a lightweight anymore – the guy has bulked up into an absolute unit – and I’m really encouraged by the hunger he’s shown to fight his way back into the first team and become one of its leaders.
He’s strong in the air, rapid over the ground and has a really good range of passing for a central defender. I still think there’s more to come from him. He can sharpen up a little bit defensively and I’d probably like to see him be a bit more vocal out there on the pitch.
But, the more he plays, the more he’s adding these things to his game and you can see him starting to blossom in a Rangers shirt. And a Scotland one for that matter.
Steve Clarke must have been delighted to have him sticking his head on everything that Portugal slung into our box at Hampden on Tuesday night and I have a feeling more of the same is going to be required at Rugby park on Sunday afternoon, when he gets back down to club business.
As a player, you know what you’re going to get when you go to Kilmarnock. A physical test against a well organised side with a very tactically astute manager.
Derek McInnes will have his players pumped up for this one on the back of the late 3-2 win last time out at Dundee. He’ll see this as the chance for them to get their league season properly up and running after a slow start by his standards.
I also notice that he’s narrowed the playing surface to make it even tighter this season and that helps his team to get down the sides and fire crosses into the opposition’s box. That’s why Souttar is going to have to be at the top of his game again alongside Robin Propper. As a defensive pairing, you can see the relationship has been growing the more they get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
The international break has put that on pause for a couple of weeks which is frustrating for the manager but Clement will be banking on them hitting the ground running in their first game back because there is no more room for slip ups. If I was him I’d be hoping for a draw at Parkhead 24 hours earlier because if both Celtic and Aberdeen drop points at the same time then it will give Rangers the chance to eat into the gap they’ve opened up at the top of the table.
But I also wouldn’t be overly bothered about how that result turns out either way because it won’t matter a damn unless Rangers take care of their own business at a very tricky away venue the following afternoon.
Like I say, there’s not been too much for the fans to get their teeth into or to feel excited about so far this season and they’re probably every bit as frustrated by the issues off the pitch at a time when the club is looking for a permanent chairman, chief executive and a new director of football.
But John Gilligan has stepped into the role of a figurehead and I’m told he and George Letham have been taking a really hands on approach to guiding the club through the recent upheaval. That boots-on-the-ground leadership is something the club has been missing for a while now but Gilligan and Letham are taking a highly visible approach to running things behind the scenes while looking to make those key appointments in the boardroom.
And that should at least give the fans a bit of comfort as well as the reassurance of knowing the pair of them are getting the sleeves rolled on their behalf. But, most of all, the punters want to see their team winning games of football out on the pitch on a consistent basis.
No matter what the result is at Celtic on Saturday, three points on Sunday at Killie are an absolute must. Big Souttar is leading the way in terms of focussing on what really matters and not allowing himself to be distracted by the noise coming from elsewhere.
If the rest of Clement’s players show the same kind of never-say-die attitude then Rangers can use these next few weeks to get some serious momentum into their season before it shuts down for one final international break.