The four Rangers “lieutenants” who Philippe Clement claims are heroes

Philippe Clement knows that when it comes to leadership you can’t do it all yourself and that’s why Rangers captain James Tavernier is vital to his operation.

The Ibrox skipper is a monumental contributor on the park and wears the captain’s armband, setting an on-pitch example with a relentless consistency and plenty of goals.

It’s precisely why James Tavernier was the first person Philippe Clement spoke to when he started his job as Ibrox gaffer, as he looked to assess just how things had gone so wrong in Govan.

But as Tav banged in goals number 119 and 120 against St Johnstone to equal the goal tally of the greatest ever Ranger and fellow defender John Greig, Clement claims that even Rangers’ captain fantastic needs all the help he can get.

Philippe Clement “happy” with James Tavernier

Heaping praise on the Rangers skipper’s trusted “lieutenants”, Clement claims that the day-to-day responsibility of running of the Ibrox dressing room is a shared one.

Philippe Clement also took the chance to praise the contribution of James Tavernier although – as he always does – the Belgian was keen to stress the importance of the squad and not the individual.

“I am happy with Tav,” said Clement. “He was the first player I talked with. It’s also the normal way if you come into a building and you know the fire is going on.

“I wanted to see how to stop the fire as fast as possible so I wanted to have all the information. It’s normal you speak first with the captain about that and he was really open and honest about all things in the club, in the dressing room, about himself also. So that was a really important step.

“He feels good also with – there is a divided leadership in this dressing room – with several players who take responsibility but they have a really good connection together. So that’s important also.

“If you are all alone you can be alone in the desert but now he has a few lieutenants around him who help also and are also really influential so it’s important to have that as a group.”

Who are the Rangers leadership group?

Whilst Philippe Clement didn’t drop any names specifically, the Rangers leadership group are those who support James Tavernier in the execution of his duties at Ibrox.

This is those players who take on the responsibility of hammering home the Ibrox standards to the squad and making sure everyone understands what’s expected of them at the club.

They have the job of motivating their teammates, assimilating new signings into the squad, and making sure everyone at Rangers feels valued and part of what Clement describes as a “really nice environment to come into”.

But who exactly are the players Philippe Clement is referring to?

It will not surprise you know that Tavernier’s most trusted lieutenant is long-time teammate and centre-back stalwart Connor Goldson, the club’s on-pitch vocal leader.

Then there is midfielder John Lundstram – currently involved in contract negotiations over a new deal – who is viewed as a crucial player under Philippe Clement’s leadership.

With Scott Arfield and Allan McGregor previously completing the Rangers leadership group, two summer signings have stepped up in their absence.

These are Nigerian international and veteran defender Leon Balogun, the passionate defender rejoining in the summer after a successful two-year stint at the club.

Incoming Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland – who is in line for a recall to the England set-up – has also emerged as a leader in the squad.

Amongst them, these four players set the standards and lead the players at Rangers alongside James Tavernier and complete Philippe Clement‘s leadership group.