Philippe Clement Rangers timeline on course as boss reminds fans to trust process
Philippe Clement believes Rangers are finally beginning to prove him right.
The Ibrox boss has made it clear to fans and pundits alike since the beginning of pre-season that with a squad overhaul comes new signings having to be given time to bed in and gel to understand one another on the pitch. With that in mind even back in early August, the Belgian told anyone who would listen that the best of Gers would come around October time.
And with victories over Malmo, Dundee and Dundee United in recent weeks, the manager reckons the timeline he put on his players and the best of them is just about right.
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"It's good, it's important, but for me it's more confirmation of what I've been seeing for the last couple of weeks in training," he told Sky Sports after their 2-0 win in Sweden. "The team is growing for a few weeks, and it's like I said one month ago, that we would see the best Rangers in October and November. It's normal.
"So many guys who need to learn the story together, how to play together in the style we want to play. They're doing the right things and it's about continuing to do that. It's different playing every three days to playing once a week, but that's what Rangers is about, so it's about seeing who can cope with that, physically and mentally.
"For a lot of guys it's something new, so we still need to discover the squad in that way. It's difficult but those are the consequences of playing in Europe, and they are positive consequences."
David Gray's Hibs are the visitors to Ibrox on Sunday afternoon and Clement insists he's chuffed to have a full capacity back in the stands after months at Hampden.
"We were already so happy that we had a part of Ibrox open last week," he added. "We felt the joy with the players, the staff, and the fans. So now, a full Ibrox, that's why players come here and why I like to be here.
"It gives it a totally different dynamic. I feel a lot of positivity in the fans from what they've seen in the last few weeks, with the new faces coming in and giving them what they expect. So I expect a fully loaded Ibrox on Sunday."