Kiernan defends the position of stylish stoppers such as Stones
PUSH Rob Kiernan on the criticism he has received over the course of the last year or so and he gives sure proof, contrary to some of the concerns expressed, that he is more than capable of being defensive. ‘I can’t let those opinions affect me,’ goes the retort. ‘Everyone has their opinion and it can be crazy. That’s why I can’t read into it.’
As a means of self-protection, it is wise. Rangers have been having a testing time of it since stepping up to the Premiership in the summer and they are not out of the woods yet.
Kiernan has had to deal with his fair share of the scrutiny. Along with Danny Wilson, his defensive partner of last season, there have been accusations of not doing the basics, not lumping it into Row Z when required, concentrating too much on passing the ball.
Grizzled old Clint Hill, 38 years of age and almost from an entirely different time, coming in to shore things up has not really helped.
Such issues are very much the bane of the modern, young centre-half’s life, though.
John Stones has been living through it for some time now, this unsparing examination of his game that dates back to way before his near-£50million move from Everton to Manchester City in August.
City manager Pep Guardiola retains an unshakeable faith in the 22-year-old, built on his conviction for building from the back.
Stones, though, is having to develop a thick skin. Displays for England, notably the one against Scotland at Wembley, have been dissected most harshly.
Having conceded possession to Borussia Monchengladbach’s Lars Stindl ahead of the German club’s goal in a 1-1 Champions League draw with Manchester City last month, Roy Keane observed that ‘he’s like a child getting knocked off the ball’.
Not physical enough. Not dominant. Not willing to stick the boot in. The criticisms must sound somewhat familiar to Kiernan.
Certainly, the 25-yearold becomes considerably more animated when discussing Stones’ trial by TV and Twitter than his own.
Indeed, it is tempting to view his remarks as an insight into his true feelings over some of the things that have been said about him.
‘It annoys the life out of me and frustrates me so much that John Stones gets so much grief,’ said Kiernan. ‘The majority of punters can’t see what he’s actually doing.
‘He has the most unbelievable talent, but people just love to pick out a fault instead of looking at the stuff that he actually does do. That’s why he’s playing for Manchester City and that’s why Pep rates him as his first choice.
‘I’m not going to argue with punters, but I think their opinions aren’t valid at times.
‘He’s so comfortable with the ball. He brings it forward and he puts teams on the back foot.’
Kiernan is asked to do the same kind of thing by his manager at Rangers, Mark Warburton, and has no interest in turning into some kind of bruising throwback to the 1980s in an attempt to quell critical voices. ‘We’re not coached in that way now and those days are gone,’ said Kiernan. ‘John Terry is the last of a dying breed. He epitomises that, but he’s also a very good footballer. ‘You don’t get away with those heavy challenges any more. I’ve seen things from back in the day when boys go through the back of people and don’t even get a yellow card. You’d get sent off for that now. You’d miss three games and the team would be weaker. ‘I don’t get any enjoyment going through the back of someone. I would rather play my game nicely, do well on the ball and keep a clean sheet.’ There have been some hard lessons learned during Rangers’ trials and tribulations this season. They appear, at least, to have helped Kiernan hone a sense of perspective. ‘When the team has a bad game, people need someone to blame — they don’t look at all the other good stuff,’ he said. ‘The role for a centre-half in this team is to build from the back, so that we’ve got a lot of pressure. As well as defending, we’ve got to try to get the team on the front foot.’ If Guardiola remains supportive of Stones, the same can be said of Warburton when it comes to Kiernan. The Ibrox manager said: ‘I think people talk about bravery for a centre-half and they associate that with a crunching tackle and a smashing header, but the bravery is taking the ball in a really tight area.
‘That is what we ask players to do. At the very highest level, players such as John Stones are being asked by their manager to take the ball in really tight areas and deal with it.
‘Rob is a very technically talented player with two great feet, great physique and aerial strength. He has all the attributes you need.’
Although results have not quite been of the standard required, there remains support of Warburton’s basic principles amongst the Rangers faithful.
Perhaps it is connected to the football served up under the previous regime. Whatever the reality, the manager believes there is a widespread understanding of his desire to possess football players in every department.
‘People understand what we are trying to do and that the boys are trying to play,’ he said.
‘I was talking to Robbie Neilson when we played Hearts at Tynecastle. He talked about people saying it was great to be long and direct and physical, but you go into Europe and get pumped 5-0 by a ball-playing football team.
‘If the game is going to get further, we have got to get better.
‘I don’t think we have to re-educate anyone, though. I think it is whether they agree with what we are trying to do or not.
‘If your keeper smashes it 80 yards down the field to a 6ft 6in centre-forward, who flicks it on for someone to score and you come second in the league, magnificent.
‘I hate when people say they play football the right way. We play football the way we want it to be played. I’m not saying it’s the right way. It is whatever works for you.’
People just love to pick out a fault instead of looking at the stuff he does very well