Sam Lammers “must be a brilliant player in training” for Rangers because he doesn’t show enough in games to keep getting picked, according to Steven Thompson.
The former Ibrox forward reacted live on BBC Sportsound, via the BBC Sport live-blog on 30 November, after the Dutch forward was eventually withdrawn for Tom Lawrence in the 1-1 draw with Aris Limassol, to suggest somewhat sarcastically he doesn’t understand what Philippe Clement sees in him.
The summer signing had come into the starting XI for Lawrence following the 1-1 draw with Hearts at the weekend, ahead of Ross McCausland, and yet it was Todd Cantwell who was sacrificed in the first half for the winger despite Lammers offering next to nothing himself.
Thompson said: “I was surprised to see Sam Lammers in the starting lineup ahead of Tom Lawrence.
“For me, Lammers must be a brilliant player in training because he gets picked by the manager, but you very rarely see the end of product from him in games.”
Lammers, admittedly, was good in the 5-0 thrashing of Dundee on 1 November as he registered his first assist for the club and smashed a wonderful long-range goal in off the bar.
But that was only his second strike for Rangers and remains so from 25 appearances in all competitions, despite extensive opportunities since his £3.5million arrival from Atalanta [Daily Record, 15 June], and outside of that he’s done very little.
Both Michael Beale and Clement have stuck with him, and while there is no doubt a decent player in there somewhere it is impossible to argue that he is producing enough at the moment.
He was poor again in the Europa League draw, and what makes so little sense is that, unlike with fellow struggler Jose Cifuentes there are alternative options so he didn’t have to play.
The manager dropped Lawrence, played Cantwell ineffectively on the right, and didn’t start McCausland in order to bring Lammers back into the XI in a game where a win would have secured Europa League football in the New Year.
Rabbi Matondo was also available, and all four of those alternatives are likely preferred by most Rangers supporters currently.
Whether it is a confidence issue or simply a lack of suitability for the tactics at Ibrox it doesn’t seem like Lammers is having a good time, so it is indeed strange that he appears to remain a priority choice compared to other, more impactful players.
It’s ultimately not his fault if he gets picked, even if he is responsible for his lack of output in games, but it would probably be better for all concerned if he had a spell out of the spotlight.
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