John Souttar is out of the Rangers team at present, but he won’t be out of Danny Rohl’s mind.
He still has a role to play and Scotland hero Colin Hendry believes his qualities will be required on and off the pitch in the coming weeks.
The 1998/99 Rangers treble winner has emphasised the importance of Souttar’s Scottish identity and resonance with the supporters as a crucial factor.
John Souttar backed to shine by Scotland hero Hendry
As reported by the Rangers Review, Colin Hendry recalled his time at Ibrox when he joined a multicultural, international room under Dick Advocaat.
That was the season just after Walter Smith left the club, along with a core Scottish group of players who had delivered so much success in the preceding years.
Advocaat’s team collected a clean sweep at the first time of asking, but just as Hendry was recruited for his local knowledge and suitability, he believes John Souttar is an important figure for Rangers.
“He signed a new contract recently,” said the Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers.
“When playing for such a big club, it is important that you have one or two Scottish identities in there, added Hendry.
“Although he’s not in the team at the moment, I still think he has a lot to contribute to what’s becoming a really exciting end to the SPFL season.
“Against Falkirk, we scored six but conceded three. Generally, conceding three goals at Rangers or Celtic is not adequate; it’s not good enough for clubs of that stature.
“On the other hand, we are scoring six. At this stage of the season, it’s all about winning games. It’s not really about how we play; it’s just about results.”
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The best route to those results is through performances.
More of the second-half type at Falkirk and not the first.
Colin Hendry has been there and done it, but in this instance, the importance of ‘Scottishness’ seems to be overstated.
John Souttar is out of the team because of his own form, but he is next in line to play in central defence. He will be required at some stage over the next four weeks.
As Nico Raskin and James Tavernier have alluded to, Danny Rohl’s calmness is spreading through the team, and that is acting as a springboard for confidence and form.
It will be those qualities that drive Rangers to a potential title, rather than the nationalities of the individuals.
With five games to go, every player knows exactly what is on the line.
