Chris Sutton makes Rangers admission in Daily Record

Chris Sutton admits Rangers have been “pretty average” recently but commends Philippe Clement for getting the best out of the group at Ibrox.

The former Celtic striker shared in his latest column for the Daily Record (10 February) that the Belgian is doing a fine job at Ibrox after the midweek win over Aberdeen at Ibrox (6 February) made his 19th in 23 games since his appointment in October.

The Gers moved level on points with Celtic after that win but Brendan Rodgers’ men responded with a 2-1 win of their own, against Hibernian 24 hours later.

And Sutton shared that Clement has an average squad at his disposal but has done a “fine job” to get the most of out of the group until now with the Gers now firmly on Celtic’s tales in the Scottish Premiership title race.

He wrote: “Long-term and a bigger picture in terms of Europe season would be concerning enough, yet it’s the here and now which should worry fans because Rangers are right on Celtic’s tails.

“Philippe Clement is doing a fine job. I’ll be honest, they are pretty average, but the manager is finding a way to get the best out of them and get results.”

Sutton and Celtic feeling the Rangers pressure

It very much appears the former Celtic striker is feeling the pressure of Clement’s men after their huge win over Aberdeen which has certainly left the Hoops panicking as the Scottish Premiership title race heats up.

Sutton may not be frightened of the Rangers team right now but he is certainly intimidated by Clement’s impact and progression and Ibrox and that feeling may well be expressed across their cross-city rivals at Parkhead.

Celtic have stumbled performance-wise in recent weeks and it is vitally important the Gers keep up the pressure on Rodgers’ men as that is all they can do in a hotly contested title race.

No one can take away from the tremendous work being done under Clement’s management and what’s all the more impressive is the fact that he has inherited the squad from Michael Beale.

Imagine what the Belgian could do with the squad built in his image. Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes have been brought in at Ibrox in the transfer window, two signings that point to the transformation which is being undertaken.

Clement has made major improvements to the way Rangers are playing and the energy and aggression that he demands in every game.

19 wins in 23 games means the Light Blues are now a serious threat, more than they’ve ever been since Steven Gerrard’s tenure and massive credit must go to the way Clement has transformed things at the club.