Following Hearts’ 2-0 loss at Hampden Park, David Edgar retaliated against Steven Naismith for his remarks made prior to the game about Rangers.
The Heart & Hand host responded on Twitter on April 21 to the Jam Tarts manager’s pregame assertions that Philippe Clement’s team had been fortunate in their recent run of success. She also implied that it was not shocking for them to lose because the Ibrox team had a poor trophy record in the past.
With two goals from Cyriel Dessers, Rangers advanced to the cup final against Celtic thanks to a stronger showing.
In response to the poor performance of the Gers, Naismith had previously stated, via BBC Sport Scotland (18 April), “I think it’s unexpected, surprised I’m not sure, there’s some players who’ve been there over their years and failed to win trophies…
“I believe that throughout their current winning streak, they have also occasionally relied on luck to win. For example, that game [2-1 against Hearts, October 29] and a few others, but they are a team that plays a particular style.
Edgar responded by writing, “Never did know when to keep his mouth shut,” after winning the cup.
After Cyriel Dessers’s goal against Hearts, Rangers secure a spot in the Celtic final.
As these remarks have for Naismith, scathing remarks made before a crucial game are always likely to haunt a manager.
Although he was taking a risk, in his defense, what he said wasn’t necessarily wrong given that his team had lost 5-0 at Ibrox in their previous meeting on February 24, had lost 3-1 at the same stage of the Viaplay Cup final on November 5, and had never triumphed over Rangers at Hampden in 16 attempts.
After Michael Beale’s terrible start, Clement turned things around to win the first trophy of the season and storm back into the title race. For months, it seemed like Clement had the secret to unlocking the best of almost every player at Ibrox.
However, the fact that the Light Blues lost 10 of their previous 15 games to give Celtic the title advantage and eliminated from the Europa League suggested that they were likely overachieving earlier. It is also true that no successful team can survive without a healthy dose of good fortune.
Due to the players’ declining form, a significant player exodus has been anticipated for the summer. However, a much-needed win has given them the slimmest chance to salvage a now extremely unlikely domestic treble.
After making major lineup changes and benching players like Connor Goldson, Clement needed a response from his players, and for the most part, he got one at Hampden. The Belgian team qualified for the final without much help from luck.
A club is currently counting down the days until they sign a senior Ibrox player away from Glasgow, in other Rangers news.
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