'They don't know' - Philippe Clement addresses Rangers fans' reaction to Connor Barron substitution

Barron has been a standout this season and was again one of Rangers better performers in an otherwise flat team performance as the Govan side failed to build on a fifth minute opener from Cyriel Dessers.

There was an atmosphere of anxiety inside Ibrox as Hearts pressed for a second half equaliser and loud boos poured down from the stands when Barron was replaced by Dujon Sterling in the 68th minute.

Clement admitted he understood the supporters' frustration but stressed that the ex-Aberdeen youngster had run himself into the ground in what was his third match in the space of a week.

"I understand fans are fans and they don’t know all the facts," the Belgian said. "They see Connor - and he deserves it - as one of the symbols of this new team. I spoke with a lot of praise about him in the last couple of weeks but it’s also my job to manage him in a good way so he doesn’t get injuries or I overuse him.

“He was tired with the massive distance he ran and the duels, the long travel, everything and we could put Dujon in the midfield to win the duels and go forwards after that. I understand fans don’t understand every detail about that and they want to see one of the best players over the past couple of weeks but I think the fans would be more disappointed if he was injured at the end."

Rangers captain James Tavernier was also substituted for the second weekend in succession having been dropped for the midweek Europa League draw at Olympiacos.

Addressing his skipper's performance, Clement added: "It was also in ups and downs. He had a few really good moments, a shot in the second half, unlucky it was blocked. There were also moments defensively that could have been better. We will work hard on that with the team. There wasn’t a player who only had highs, it was too many ups and downs. We need more consistency to kill these games off and that’s the most important thing."

Rangers held on for victory despite a poor second half display where they were fortunate to avoid conceding an equaliser as Hearts struck the post through Kenneth Vargas 30 seconds after the restart. Clement was happy with Rangers' first half display but admitted the second 45 left much to be desired.

"We make the fans nervous by making the wrong choices," the Rangers boss said. "It’s more like that because they see one goal difference and if one ball drops wrongly or there’s a mistake then Hearts are back in the game. It’s about us doing better with the ball in those moments.

"Also in the last minute if you get a free-kick in the opponent’s half and you end with a ball for your goalie and a throw for the opponents, then we lack management of the game but it’s a young squad. They still need to learn a lot, they’re really hungry to learn, they are getting better and they’ve shown good things this week but we need to work on managing a game and recognise those moments."