da heads bet： Glasgow Rangers endured a season to forget during 2022/23 as they failed to win a trophy while finishing bottom of their Champions League group.
da betcris： After a shaky start to the current campaign, the appointment of Philippe Clement has galvanised the Gers, and they secured their 28th League Cup triumph with a victory over Aberdeen just prior to Christmas.
With the midway point of the season fast approaching, the turnaround under the Belgian has been remarkable, and they find themselves in a Premiership title race.
Some of the players haven’t quite pulled their weight thus far, however, and with this in mind, we at Football FanCast have put together our mid-season player ratings (out of ten) for the members of the first team squad who have made five starts or more during 2023/24.
Goalkeepers Jack Butland
9 – The former Crystal Palace goalkeeper has arguably been one of the signings of the summer as his presence in goal has helped the club massively this term.
Butland is enjoying somewhat of a career resurgence in Glasgow and long may it continue as he secured the first trophy of his career during the recent League Cup final victory.
Defenders James Tavernier
8 – The captain has once again proven to be one of the main attacking threats at the club and his contributions won't be truly appreciated until the defender finally departs Ibrox.
He completed his domestic medal haul by scoring the winner against the Dons at Hampden a couple of weeks ago and thoughts now turn to winning bigger prizes.
Connor Goldson
7 – The centre-back is one of the first names on the team sheet and his performances have been solid, especially under Clement.
He will play a big part during the second half of the campaign.
Leon Balogun
8 – Signed by Michael Beale in the summer, Balogun joined the club for the second time and his spell has been a success thus far.
The Belgian has tended to deploy him domestically alongside Goldson, and it has worked a treat, with the 35-year-old showcasing all of his tactical nous and ability to wonderful effect.
Ben Davies
5 – The defender has certainly failed to live up to his £4m transfer fee and has struggled at times this season.
The former Liverpool centre-back started every single Europa League match, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him depart either in January or in the summer.
John Souttar
6 – Souttar started the season well after recovering from a serious injury which disrupted his debut season at the club, yet the last few months have been stop-start for the Scot.
If he can regain his early season form, he will be an asset during the second half of the campaign.
Borna Barisic
6 – The left-back is currently entering the final few months of his contract and will be hoping to impress Clement to be offered an extension.
His performances have been rather inconsistent, and he could depart sooner rather than later.
Ridvan Yilmaz
5 – The defender played just 15 times following his arrival last summer, and he was expected to kick on during the current campaign.
Despite a first goal for the club against Livingston, it hasn’t really happened for him and Yilmaz will need to have a big second half of the season to force his way into Clement’s plans.
Midfielders John Lundstram
8 – The former Sheffield United midfielder has enjoyed a resurgence under the Belgian amid a disappointing season in 2022/23.
His contract is also up for expiry next summer and if he continues these displays, he will extend his stay at Ibrox.
Nico Raskin
6 – Seen as somewhat of a coup when arriving in January, Raskin has failed to build on a promising first six months in Glasgow.
Rangers have struck gold on "different class" gem who is valued at £6.9m
Rangers have hit the jackpot over a player who was signed by Michael Beale
ByRoss Kilvington
He has shown glimpses of his class, but an injury sustained in October has kept him out of action, and it remains to be seen when he will return.
Abdallah Sima
9 – Alongside Butland, Sima has been one of the best signings the club have made this season. He is only on loan, but his goal record has been wonderful this term.
If there is a chance of signing him on a permanent basis, Clement must surely make the move.
Ryan Jack
6 – While Jack has been decent whenever he has featured this term, his niggling injury worries will surely mean Clement moves him on next summer.
His contract expires then and he has missed a total of 118 matches since joining in 2017 and the manager can't afford any passengers.
Jose Cifuentes
5 – Another player who was heralded upon their arrival but has struggled to adapt to Scottish football. Cifuentes is an excellent player and just needs some time and if he gets a consistent run of matches in the new year, he could prove to be a valuable asset.
Todd Cantwell
7 – Cantwell has tended to play out of position on the right wing during spells this season, but when Clement deployed him in a number ten role, his performances improved.
The Englishman is far more effective in a central role and his influence will be important in 2024, but he will need to add more goals and assists during the second half of the season.
Forwards Sam Lammers
3 – It soon became apparent that Lammers wasn’t going to be a dangerous threat up front during his first few competitive matches and the Dutchman has failed to shine.
A rating of three out of ten is generous and if Clement needs funds in January, the former Atalanta forward should be sold.
Tom Lawrence
5 – Injury problems continue to plague the Welshman, but there was a spell in November where he looked like he could give the Belgian an option in the heart of the midfield.
If he can't stay fit, however, he must be moved on.
Danilo
6 – The Brazilian cost £6m and for this sort of fee, goals were to be expected. Six goals and five assists across 21 appearances isn’t the best tally and the forward will be out until April having suffered a knee injury against Hearts. The jury is still out on the player.
Cyriel Dessers
4 – Like Lammers, the Nigerian has failed to sparkle in front of goal this term and if it weren’t for Danilo’s injury, he may well have been a candidate to be sold in January.
With a second chance coming, Dessers must take advantage, otherwise he will be yet another big money flop at the Gers.
Kemar Roofe
6 – Injury-prone is beginning to feel like a recurring theme going through the full squad, but Roofe embodies this like no one else.
Since joining in 2020, the forward has missed 84 games through injury, yet he scored a crucial winner against Real Betis to secure passage to the knockout stages of the Europa League.
His ability to pop up and net in big games is perhaps what is keeping him at Ibrox and if he can get fit, he could play a big part from January onwards.
Ross McCausland
7 – The youngster has been the man of the moment recently, especially after signing a long new term contract until 2027.
Since making his first appearance of the campaign against Aris Limassol in October, he has scored his first goal for the Gers and forced his way into Clement’s first-team plans.
Watch out for him in 2024 as he will go from strength to strength under the Belgian.
Rabbi Matondo
6 – The Welsh winger put a poor maiden campaign in Glasgow behind him as he registered four goal contributions during the early part of the season.
Injury disrupted his progress, but he is back fit and his pace and trickery on the wings could be a big asset for the 49-year-old coach.