AFTER claiming a clean sheet and three points at a notoriously awkward venue, Rangers could travel back down the A9 with a certain degree of satisfaction following Sunday’s 1-0 win in Perth.
On the back of their Europa League exploits, which had seen Philippe Clement’s side win 4-1 in Nice last Thursday, the importance of backing that up against St Johnstone couldn’t be overstated.
In that respect, it was job done for Clement and his players. Yet, even with a clean sheet, central defence continues to be an area of serious concern.
Specifically, in the case of Robin Propper, Rangers seem to have a player who is fundamentally ill-equipped to cope with the demands of Scottish football.
Propper was hooked at half-time after a troubling opening 45 minutes which had seen him caught out of position on several occasions, as well as mistiming a few headers and tackles.
After the match, Clement claimed that the Dutchman had been nursing a knee injury as well as a sickness bug.
Propper was substituted at half-time during Rangers’ win at St Johnstone
Leon Balogun impressed after replacing Propper at half-time in Saturday’s match
The Dutch defender has struggled with the physicality of Scottish football
That was fair enough. You can only take a manager’s word on these things. If Propper was nursing an injury, we can only take that at face value.
But it’s not difficult to understand why there was a degree of scepticism at those comments from Clement. Why? Because this is now becoming a recurring theme with Propper.
It sounded suspiciously like a manager making an excuse to bail out a player who was having a desperately poor game. Simple as that.
Propper has started 16 matches for Rangers this season and has been subbed off six times. He has been hooked twice at half-time.
In a home game against St Mirren in late October, Rangers were on the ropes prior to Propper being subbed off with half an hour to go, eventually pulling through to win 2-1.
On that occasion, the Dutchman endured a torrid afternoon against St Mirren striker Toyosi Olusanya. Damningly, the Rangers defence looked far more secure when he went off.
That was the case once again in Perth on Sunday. Once Leon Balogun came on at half-time, Rangers looked far more secure at the back.
Philippe Clement’s summer recruitment at Rangers has come under scrutiny
The problem with Propper is that he simply doesn’t look robust enough to cope with Scottish football. He looks flimsy, fragile, error-prone and injury-prone. Other than that, he’s been a terrific signing…
A £1.5million acquisition who captained FC Twente, it should be noted that Propper spent his whole career in the Netherlands without ever really registering on the radar of the big three of Ajax, PSV or Feyenoord.
In all fairness to him, Propper knows his start to life at Ibrox hasn’t exactly been a roaring success. It’s not something he has shied away from.
After the win in Nice last week, he was asked whether the demands of Scottish football have taken him by surprise.
‘Yeah, maybe,’ he admitted. ‘Maybe I underestimated it a little bit.
‘Of course, you know about Rangers, you know about how big the club is, but you don’t know that much about the competition.
‘So, yeah, it takes some time. I played some good games, I played some not-so-good games. So, I need to be on my level again, and keep the highest level possible.
‘I think you see it in European games. I’m more of myself, I’m more related to the European games maybe than the Scottish Premiership. But I think I can adjust to that, and I need some time on that. I gave myself that time, so I want to adjust to that.
‘Of course, I need the time, but I need to adjust really fast, because we play every three or four days, we play a game.’
Given that Propper is the other side of 30, his inability to complete 90 minutes is something which has to be of concern to Clement.
Whether it’s form or fragility, he is too often exposed as a weak link in central defence.
There’s still time for him to turn it around. But, right now, he looks to be a poor signing.
In Connor Goldson, Rangers had a player who rarely missed a game. In Propper, the experienced centre-back who was signed essentially to replace Goldson, they have a player who too often struggles to complete 90 minutes.
In the first half against St Johnstone, he was all over the shop. Even beyond the apparent injury, there was a very valid case that he should be hooked anyway based on his performance level.
Former Rangers midfielder Kevin Thomson believes Propper’s form has now become a source of serious concern.
‘I think his form has got to be worrying,’ Thomson told the BBC. ‘He needs to learn quickly.
‘I watched him against St Mirren and he had a torrid afternoon. I think he’s probably underestimated what playing against a stereotypical centre-forward up here looks like.
‘The hustle and bustle, the running the channels, the backing in. A lot of people would say: “Come on, that’s normal, you’re used to that”.
Propper was signed for £1.5million from Dutch side FC Twente
‘But you would beg to differ if you watch continental football or European football, that sometimes centre-forwards are a wee bit more loose.
‘It’s a wee bit more technical, whereas he’s having to use body contact, he’s in duels, he’s in fights, he’s having to scrap all the time.
‘Centre-halves for the Old Firm have to play on the halfway line. So you have to leave yourself exposed with 30, 40, 50 yards behind you, it’s the way it feels.
‘I think he’s struggling to adapt at the moment. But I think if he’s a good player, which I think he is, he will adapt and he’ll learn.
‘The bit is and the argument is he has to learn really quickly.’
Rangers will now prepare to host Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Wednesday night. On the basis of what happened in Perth, it’s not difficult to see Balogun being handed a start.
There is only so long Clement can persist with Propper. With a League Cup final against Celtic on the horizon, the Rangers manager needs solid players he can rely on.
At the moment, on top of all the niggling fitness issues, Propper looks like a mistake waiting to happen.
