Rangers vs Hearts; Scottish Premiership
Rangers vs Hearts. Scottish Premiership.
Ibrox StadiumAttendance50,039.
Rangers v Hearts preview: Clint Hill suspended for Ibrox clash
Friday 9 December 2016 14:09, UK
Clint Hill is suspended for Rangers’ Premiership clash with Hearts on Saturday after he was sent off against Aberdeen last week.
The former QPR defender was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 91st minute of his side's 2-1 win over the Dons at Ibrox and will now miss the visit of Hearts.
Josh Windass, who has had injury problems this season, is still struggling with a hamstring injury ahead of the game but could return to training early next week.
Boss Mark Warburton also hopes to have Jordan Rossiter (calf) back within the next 10 days although fellow midfielder Niko Kranjcar (knee) is out for the season.
The game at Ibrox will represent Ian Cathro's first match in charge of Hearts after he replaced Robbie Neilson earlier this week.
Some have questioned the wisdom in appointing the 30-year-old, who was assistant coach at Valencia and Newcastle but has never played at a serious level, but Warburton has praised Hearts for their "brave" choice.
"I don't know who's pointing fingers. I've not heard that. I think people are pleased to see it," Warburton said. "I'm delighted to see the appointment. I think it's brave on his part and a brave call by Hearts.
"He's a young coach but he's very knowledgeable and demonstrated that to a number of people in the game. He's got a lot of confidence to come and do this job and I'm sure a lot of ability too. I'm pleased to see him get his chance and I'll wish him well - but only after this weekend.
"The game is changing. The players coming through are far more inquisitive and more knowledgeable about the game, so it's more about man management now.
"It's about creating the right environment for players to develop, so you can come from a different background and put your knowledge and experience into place here."
Cathro has only Sam Nicholson unavailable for the clash with Rangers on Saturday. The midfielder remains on the sidelines after undergoing knee surgery.
Hearts skipper Perry Kitchen insists the age of Cathro is irrelevant and says he has been impressed by his new boss and assistant Austin MacPhee in their first few days in charge and believes ability rather than age is key.
"The first time he came into the dressing room there was a presence about him," the former DC United midfielder said.
"His ideas, the way he goes about managing the guys, tiny details, just in the past three days has been, from my point of view, pretty impressive so again, age is just a number, I wouldn't look into that.
"Just meeting him, seeing what he is about and Austin as well, I would definitely say he is the right man for the job. The guys are adjusting as quickly as we can. The sessions have been sharp and we are focused for the weekend.
"In MLS especially, there is plenty of young coaches. My coach there, Ben Olson, did a great with us and it was his first professional job as head coach. And again, if you have knowledge about the game and you are suitable for the job it is not an issue."
