You probably had to be there to get a true feel for the sheer exasperation of it all. But Philippe Clement could hardly have made his utter bemusement over the decision making of Michael Beale any more clear. “On Thursday we have a really big game,” mused the Belgian in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s Viaplay Cup semi final win over Hearts.
He then added: “We also miss some players that I cannot select because they are not on the European list, that I didn’t make in the beginning of the season.
It is again a puzzle.” That he stopped just short of asking what on earth his predecessor was thinking about didn’t dilute the message.
Leon Balogun has probably been thinking something very similar ever since returning to Rangers in the summer, at a time when Beale was taking a scattergun to the transfer market.