I will not play again: Ranger key player has decided to quit due to…

Rangers aren’t quite levelling everything and starting again, although it is clear that all aspects of the club are going through a period of change.

Patrick Stewart is to appoint a sporting director to oversee the football department which will allow Nils Koppen to focus more on recruitment across the club’s teams.

This has bought Philippe Clement some time as Rangers manager, however, there is another post that needs immediate attention in the shape of the head of performance.

Why Rangers fitness merry-go-round isn’t good for the players

Tom Taylor is joining Chelsea, and his departure causes a problem for Clement in more than one way.

The British Medical Journal of Open Sport and Exercise Medicine published an article by Jan Ekstrand, Wart van Zoest and Hakan Gauffin in which studies demonstrated the risk associated with changing fitness/performance coaches and the manager:

“Bringing their own fitness/performance coaches is common for managers entering a new elite male football club,” the study’s conclusion opened with.

“However, this paper has highlighted that this trend seems to lead to a three times increase in HI (hamstring injury) burden.

“Similarly, replacing the team doctor was also associated with increased HI burden.

“Instability among head staff members in male elite-level football teams seems associated with increased HI burden during the season.”

Rangers injury crisis over the last few seasons has three key elements to it.

Having players in the squad who are injury prone.

Changing manager and the head of performance every season.

Luck.

Point three covers previously robust players like Danilo and Oscar Cortes who have had the last two seasons blighted by trauma and/or bizarre injuries.

The Rangers squad has seen players like Kemar Roofe, Filip Helander and Ryan Jack moved out, however, there are still a few individuals who maybe aren’t as robust as they could be.