Pundit View: Rangers lose Ibrox 'fear factor' as weakness emerges under Clement

Peter Grant believes Rangers have lost their fear factor in Scotland with clubs identifying “weakness” in Philippe Clement’s side.

The Light Blues currently sit third in the Premiership table, six points adrift of both Celtic and Aberdeen ahead of their Ibrox showdown with St Mirren on Sunday (27 October).

Although the Gers got back to winning ways with a confident 4-0 win over FCSB in the Europa League, Go Radio pundit Grant believes teams in the Premiership are more confident than ever facing Clement’s side.

Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show (25 October, 6:25) he said: “I just don’t think Rangers have got the fear factor.

“They don’t have the players that give you that fear factor whereas you’d turn up against Rangers before and you’d think well if we get away from here losing 1-0 or 2-0 you’d be delighted.

“I’m not sure that’s the case now. People think there is a weakness there that they can get and whether that comes from the support, I don’t mean that disrespectfully, because if they’d lost a goal by Jack Butland last night that could have changed even that game.

“That’s the fine line and I don’t think they’ve got that fear factor yet because I don’t think they have the players to give you that fear factor. In my time we could be beating Rangers as in playing wise and whatever, but you knew they were always in the game at 0-0.

“We knew there was a goalscorer on the pitch in McCoist, Gascoigne a bit of magic and Laudrup, Rangers don’t have that. That’s why I think the Scottish players have a wee bit more belief they can get something from them.”

What has happened to Rangers and Philippe Clement at Ibrox?

There has almost become this myth around the Gers in the last few years that they play better in the Europa League than they do in the Premiership.

While the Light Blues have pulled off bigger results in the Europa League than they have domestically since Steven Gerrard departed, it would be naive to assume that the Gers are lifting their game in mid-week matches.

Teams from the continent seem to still be intimidated by the Ibrox atmosphere and the stature of the football club. Because of a string of poor performances over the last few seasons, Premiership clubs are not phased by that whatsoever.

The only way Clement’s side will bring back that fear factor is by blowing teams away in the same manner that Celtic have been under Brenden Rodgers.

If they don’t, the pressure is only going to continue to mount on the Belgian and he will ultimately pay with his job.

In other Rangers news, Vaclav Cerny has been told that he looks like a “little boy” when he plays in the Scottish Premiership

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