Glasgow Rangers head coach Russell Martin is in desperate need of a positive performance and result for the latest Scottish Premiership clash this afternoon.
The Light Blues have had their worst start to a league season in 47 years, with four draws and one defeat, and the manager is coming under plenty of pressure.
Martin, who arrived in the summer, has overseen four wins in 14 competitive matches in charge of the Scottish giants, which is simply not where the expectation level is.
The former Scotland international’s side were beaten 1-0 by Genk on Thursday night in their first match of the Europa League campaign, and it is safe to say that some supporters are not expecting him to be in post for much longer.
It is clear that Martin needs to win the fanbase back at Ibrox. To do that, his side needs to string together strong performances and results on the pitch to show the supporters that the team is heading in the right direction.
This afternoon’s clash with Livingston could be the first step on the path to winning the fans back, and that is why the manager must finally drop Mikey Moore from the starting line-up.
Why Mikey Moore must be dropped by Rangers
The 18-year-old forward has failed to impress since signing for the Scottish giants on a season-long loan from Europa League champions Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window.
Despite his lack of impressive performances on the pitch, the England youth international has started all four of the club’s last four matches in all competitions, either on the left or the right flank.
His form in the Premiership, starting two of his three appearances in the division, has been particularly disappointing since his move to Ibrox from Spurs, as the youngster has been unable to provide the spark that Martin’s team needs on the flank.
xG
0.04
Bottom 10%
Goals
0.00
Bottom 3%
xA
0.10
Bottom 21%
Assists
0.00
Bottom 3%
Chances created
1
Bottom 3%
Dribble success rate
33.3%
Bottom 23%
As you can see in the table above, Moore ranks incredibly lowly among his positional peers in the Premiership in a host of attacking metrics as a winger, with no goals or assists and only one chance created in his three outings to date.
The young attacker, as heard in the clip above, claimed that he wants to be one of the best players in the world in the future, but he has yet to show such potential on the pitch for Rangers.
Against Genk, Moore was substituted at half-time after failing to register a single key pass or shot on target in 45 minutes, per Sofascore, in that loss to the Belgian outfit.
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Therefore, Martin must ruthlessly ditch the teenage talent from the starting line-up in order to unleash fellow summer signing Oliver Antman on the right flank against Livingston.
The former Southampton boss needs a positive result and performance to regain some faith amongst the fanbase, and the Finland international could contribute to both of those things.
Why Oliver Antman should start for Rangers
With Djeidi Gassama on the left flank and Bojan Miovski, potentially coming in for Youssef Chermiti, through the middle, Antman could line up on the right to create an exciting front three for the Gers.
The winger was signed from Go Ahead Eagles in the summer transfer window and has shown glimpses of the quality that he can provide out wide on the right flank.
Rangers supporters got an instant look at the kind of creative quality that he can offer on his debut against Viktoria Plzen in August, as he whipped in a fantastic cross for Gassama to score in a 3-0 win for the Gers at Ibrox.
Unfortunately, the right-footed attacker is yet to get off the mark, for goals or assists, in the Premiership for the Scottish giants, but his performances have shown signs of promise.
Whilst Moore’s displays have been overly underwhelming and lacking in redeeming features, Antman’s performances in the Premiership suggest that he is heading in the right direction.
xA
0.27
Top 16%
Pass accuracy
89.3%
Top 8%
Chances created
2.73
Top 14%
Successful crosses
0.45
Top 50%
Assists
0.00
Bottom 3%
Shots on target
1.36
Top 16%
Goals
0.00
Bottom 3%
As you can see in the table above, the Finland international is doing the right things. He is testing goalkeepers with shots on target and creating chances for his teammates at an impressive rate, but the goals and assists are not there yet.
The promising thing for Antman is that the input – shots on target and xA – are there, which suggests that the output – goals and assists – will eventually follow if he keeps it up in the final third.
The 24-year-old star, who reporter Chris Jack claimed has “feet like drumsticks”, delivered six goals and 15 assists in 32 appearances in the Eredivisie for his former club last season, per Sofascore, which shows that he can contribute with goals and assists on a consistent basis.
That suggests that his impressive input is not a flash in the pan and that Antman is likely to consistently do the right things in the final third, which is why it is just a matter of time before the goals and assists follow.
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With this in mind, Martin must brutally ditch Moore from the starting XI to play Antman on the right against Livingston, in the hope that today is the day that it all comes together for the Finnish maestro.