Souttar is sure to roar at Rangers
McLeish tipping classy stopper to shine as part of Ibrox defence
THE cloud of uncertainty which currently hovers over Ibrox is sizeable enough to preclude anyone from predicting the composition of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad next season without fear of contradiction.
Aaron Ramsey and Amad Diallo will return to their parent clubs after hugely underwhelming loan spells. Connor Goldson looks poised to go back to England under freedom of contract.
The futures of veteran duo Allan McGregor and Steven Davis remain up in the air. A string of key players, including Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo are entering the final year of their contracts.
Amid the many unanswered questions, the Scottish Cup final delivered one emphatic answer.
John Souttar may have ended the day on the losing side but the man who will soon swap Tynecastle for Ibrox produced a defensive performance good enough — surely — to have convinced any lingering doubters among the Rangers support.
On the same stage where he scored his first international goal against Denmark last November, Souttar emphatically demonstrated exactly what Hearts were losing and Rangers will now gain.
And with Scotland due to play four — and potentially five, should they see off Ukraine in the forthcoming World Cup play-off semi-final — crucial games in the space of a fortnight in June, the defender’s impressive showing at Hampden could not have been better timed.
‘He’s a terrific passer of the ball and he likes to play out from the back,’ said former Rangers and Scotland boss Alex McLeish (right) of the 25-year-old, who was named in Steve Clarke’s national squad this week.
‘I remember Sir Alex Ferguson used to say if you are going to pass then mean it. Souttar does that.
‘He looks a suitable candidate to play in the Rangers back line. ‘He’s at a good age, he’s a Scotland international and he’s a proven Premiership player. ‘He’s had a few injury setbacks in his career but he’s got over them and, hopefully, that stays the case.
‘I gave John his first senior cap against Belgium in 2018 and I’m delighted to see him growing over the last few years. He had to learn quickly at that level. ‘You get better the more you play at the top level for club and country and I hope that’s the same for John.’ Anyone expecting to be shielded from a sense of crushing disappointment throughout a career in football would be well advised to seek out an alternative path.
Even for the very best of them, devastating losses — or, in Souttar’s case, injuries — are as inevitable as day following night. It’s how you cope with them that counts.
McLeish has been witness to what happens when individuals are unable to quickly process a major setback.
A spectator at the National Stadium on Saturday, the thought briefly crossed the mind of the former Ibrox manager that history could repeat itself, with Rangers still nursing the effects of their Europa League final disappointment in Seville. ‘To go out at Hampden days after a final defeat is a hard thing to do,’ he said. ‘I remember being at Aberdeen in 1986 and we played Hearts in the Scottish Cup final. ‘It was a week after they had lost to Dundee at Dens Park which meant they lost the league to Celtic on the final day of the season.
‘People wondered how they would respond. I remember standing in the tunnel and I looked across at some of their players and a few heads seemed down. ‘We went onto the park and we won 3-0 that day and it was tough for Hearts. ‘It could have been the same for Rangers after Seville but they came back from a tough night in Europe and they lifted themselves to triumph.
‘You have to congratulate the players and Gio and his staff.’
No one would pretend that a 34th Scottish Cup could adequately compensate for losing out on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt three days previously. It was unquestionably significant in its own way, however.
An epic 65-game campaign had far more highs than lows for the Ibrox club. To have had nothing to show for it would have felt unjust.
For all the title Rangers won the previous season is back in Celtic’s hands, McLeish feels it’s hard to understate the importance of the first trophy of Van Bronckhorst’s tenure.
‘At Rangers, it’s so important that you win trophies,’ said the man who was at the helm between 2001 and 2006. ‘I was speaking to people last Saturday morning over breakfast and we were saying: “What if Rangers don’t win anything this season?”
‘I was positive going into the game and I thought Rangers thoroughly deserved to win.
‘People can’t criticise Hearts, though, because they have had a great season themselves under Robbie Neilson. He has proved what an astute manager he is by getting them to third, into Europe and reaching the cup final.’
The true significance of Rangers’ first Scottish Cup since 2009 will probably only become apparent in the fullness of time.
As a consequence of winning the league title and the money they are now guaranteed from the Champions League, Celtic will justifiably start favourites to retain their crown next season.
But McLeish believes last Saturday can be something of a lightbulb moment for those Rangers players — of which Souttar will be one next term — who will seek to overturn those odds.
‘I remember in 1982 at Aberdeen, we came to Hampden and beat Rangers 4-1 after extra-time,’ he recalled. ‘I felt that the game got us over a hurdle of being able to come to Glasgow and win against the Old Firm. That one game and winning something changed the mentality and it helped.
‘It’s the same with Rangers. They hadn’t won the Scottish Cup in a long time and now that’s gone. They will be bursting to get that winning feeling again.’