Michael Stewart hits back at what Alan Hutton said about Rangers

Michael Stewart hit back at Alan Hutton after what he said about Rangers and their performance against Hearts on Sunday.

The Light Blues claimed a 1-0 win over Hearts at Ibrox on 10 November, courtesy of an early goal from Cyriel Dessers, but their performance left much to be desired.

Speaking on Premier Sports’ The Scottish Football Social Club on 11 November, Hutton said Philippe Clement’s side can take positives out of their first-half display.

“I thought in the first half they actually played really well. They played with a tempo, I thought they moved the ball quickly in the first half”, he said.

Stewart, though, disagreed with Hutton, saying Rangers were good only for 15 minutes and branding Clement’s side as “passive”.

“I’d push back slightly on what Alan said about it being a good first-half performance, I’d say 15 minutes,” he said.

“From 15 minutes on, Hearts were the better side without really troubling Jack Butland.

“They were controlling the possession, they were moving about well, they were working it well into the final third, but the end product was poor.

“Rangers were passive and have been for so much of the season.”

Michael Stewart hits back at Alan Hutton after Rangers win

A quick glance at the stats may suggest Rangers were always likely to beat Hearts, with the hosts registering four shots on target, while their opponents had none.

However, it is not often that visiting teams enjoy more possession than the Gers at Ibrox. Neil Critchley’s side also played 493 passes, only six fewer than the Light Blues.

As Stewart said, Rangers dwindled after the first 15 minutes and were perhaps fortunate that Hearts did not take advantage of the situation.

The Edinburgh outfit would have felt hard done by when the referee blew the final whistle instead of giving them a free-kick right outside the box.

Hearts should have been given a free-kick after Blair Spittal’s shot struck Kieran Dowell’s arm, but the referee called full-time anyway to the visitors’ annoyance.

Former FIFA referee and PGMOL chief Keith Hackett has since said the referee should have used his common sense in that instance.

In other Rangers news, a new Derek McInnes claim has emerged amid growing pressure on Clement.

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