Steven Thompson calls for Rangers summer clear-out, compares squad to Celtic

Fri 17 March 2017 15:04, UK

By Harvey Byrne

Former striker Steven Thompson has suggested Pedro Caixinha needs to clear-out his Rangers squad in the summer, believing the squad is not good enough to compete with Celtic.

The Ibrox giants are currently sat in third place with 33 points between themselves and their fierce Glasgow rivals.

Caixinha hailed his inherited team as the “best in Scotland” following his appointment at the weekend.

However, Thompson disagrees with the manager’s claims and has stated that there is not a single Rangers individual who would currently get into Brendan Rodgers’ starting eleven.

“He said in his press conference that he felt he had the best squad in Scottish football,” wrote Thompson in his coulmn for the Scotland Herald.

“I would have to disagree with that. I don’t think there is a single Rangers player that would get into the Celtic starting line-up. So one of the first things he’s going to have to do – alongside a new director of football, whenever they are appointed – is to start a clear-out in the summer.

“He’s going to be judged on his recruitment as it will need to be better than Mark Warburton’s. If you look at last weekend’s Old Firm game, Lee Hodson and Clint Hill were the only summer signings to start for Rangers. And when you look at how many players Warburton signed back then, that shows that recruitment has been beyond bad.”