If there was ever a player, apart from McGregor, at Rangers that ‘gets it’ it’s Ryan Jack, a player who would genuinely run through a brick wall for the club, he is the type of player that every team needs. Since his most recent return from injury he’s really proved his quality and has been a crucial part of the midfield three next to Raskin and Cantwell. He is a player that does all the dirty work, all the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff that let’s the more creative players get forward and do their thing. The Rangers midfield looks a lot more solid and stable with him in it and the club’s performance have improved due to this. He has played twenty SPFL games so far this season, fourteen from the start and currently averages 60mins per game, with one goal and two assists to his name in that period. Goals and assists aren’t what he is about though, he’s a combative midfielder that thrives on getting stuck into tackles and winning the ball back. That’s not a slight on his quality though as he is a tremendous passer of the football and is always looking to get the ball forward as quickly as possible which is a stark contrast to his rival for the number six position, John Lundstram. The difference in the style of the team’s play was clear to see when Lundstram replaced Jack for the game against Raith in the SC. The build up play slowed right down and there was a larger number of sideways passes compared to the forward penetrative passes fan had seen in the games previously. The difference was even clear in the Motherwell game when Lundstram had replaced Raskin, the attacking play became a lot more, stop, start than it had been with Jack, Raskin and Cantwell, showing how important their connection is to how Michael Beale wants to play. Let’s now look at his stats for this season, starting with his passing; -90% Pass Accuracy (43.1 Per Game) -91% Pass Accuracy in Own Half (15.2 Per Game) -89% Pass Accuracy in Opposition Half (27.9 Per Game) -60% Long Ball Accuracy (1.3 Per Game) -1.2 Key Passes Per Game Really impressive numbers, especially the accuracy in the opposition half! Comparatively Lundstram averages 87% but also only 0.6 Key Passes Per Game which again highlights the lack of forward passes in favour of a sideways pass when Lundstram is on the pitch. He currently averages a higher % than any other Rangers CM that’s played significant minutes in this stat with Raskin at 84%, Cantwell at 85% and Kamara at 87%. Great numbers for a player some consider a ‘hatchet man’. Cantwell is also the only midfielder averaging more key passes per game than him and the difference is only 0.01, which when you consider one is a creative midfielder and one is a lot more defensive minded is rather surprising. His main job is to do the dirty work on the defensive end so let’s look at those numbers; -1.2 Tackles Per Game -0.7 Interceptions Per Game -50% Ground Duels Won (1.7 Per Game) In isolation these stats may not seem all that impressive but he averages more tackles than Lundstram and Kamara and has a better percentage of ground duels won than Lundstram also. The numbers really don’t do his defensive work justice, he gets all over the pitch and is tenacious and determined when it comes to winning the ball back. As mentioned previously, the Rangers midfield doesn’t function as effectively without him in it. He does a lot of work which goes unseen, he regularly drops back into right back to cover Tavernier when he bombs forward. He always shuffles across to close any gaps in the midfield so Rangers aren’t open to counter attacks. He is a manager’s dream and it looks like he loves the role he has within the team. All of the above is all well and good, playing ability has never come into the question, the question with Ryan Jack has always been surrounding his fitness. If he can stay fit and keep up the performance levels of recent times he’s got to be one of the first names on the team sheet, the question is though, can he give Rangers 30+ games next season? Would you give him a new deal? If so what type of deal do you think works best for the club?
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