Philippe Clement signed his own Rangers death warrant and now this disease MUST be purged – Scott McDermott
The Rangers board doesn’t want to sack Philippe Clement.
Even amidst the carnage of that Queen’s Park catastrophe at Ibrox they will do everything in their power to keep the Belgian in charge. After all, if Clement’s job security was based purely on results, he’d have been bagged long before now.
Just like Michael Beale before him, or Giovanni van Bronckhorst who took them to a European Final yet still paid the price for domestic demise. In their eyes, there are plenty of reasons not to pull the trigger. Firstly, finance. They can’t afford to get rid of him. Or, they could, but it would put a huge dent in the coffers.
Secondly, you can be pretty sure they made Clement a promise in the summer that, even when the going got tough, they’d stand by him. Call it a gentleman’s agreement. When he agreed to stay and front up a s**t show - which included a stadium not fit for purpose and a transfer kitty struggling to fill a piggy bank - there must have been assurances. Also, they'd need to find a replacement. Do they even trust themselves to get the next one right? Would you?
And on top of all that, Clement HAS added value to their squad list as well as earning them Europa League cash by miraculously leading them to a top-eight finish. So, every instinct in that Ibrox boardroom will be to hold fire for now. Taking the easy option is part of their MO.
But unfortunately for the blazers at the top of the marble staircase, it’s gone beyond that now. And right now, it feels like they have no other option than to part ways with the manager. Just a week ago this column talked up Clement and what he’s had to put up with since taking over. No other gaffer in the club’s history has had their hands tied behind their backs like he has.
After making the last-16 in Europe against all odds, it was pointed out that fans should be grateful he’d stuck around. All of that still stands. But at Rangers, there’s always a giant caveat. And that is, you can’t lose must-win games. Especially against lower league opposition.
Especially when it’s a cup tie which represents your best chance of silverware. And especially when it's arguably the worst result in your history. Clement has very little comeback after Sunday. He’s been let down by the board - on several occasions - and against Queen’s Park, he was let down by his players.
We’ll get on to that lot in a minute. But ultimately, he let himself down. Not just with his team’s abject performance. And not just by the utterly bizarre decision to sub off Ianis Hagi for Ridvan Yilmaz. But also - and not for the first time - with his post-match comments.
Someone at Rangers really ought to have banned the Belgian from talking about ‘shots on target’ after losing to a team who drew with East Kilbride in the Challenge Cup the previous week. And for Clement to shrug off the suggestion of a season with no trophies by saying other managers have done the same? He signed his own death warrant in the eyes of the supporters.
Because that really got to the crux of the matter. And something I’ve banged on about regularly for the last four years. With that statement, Clement confirmed that at Rangers it’s now acceptable to be second best in this city. That's a disease that has riddled this club for too long.
If the board decides not to make a change, what message does that send out to players - never mind fans - moving forward? They’re supposed to be trying to build a winning machine. But if prospects like Hamza Igamane, Jefte, Nico Raskin or Bailey Rice think they can lose to Queen’s Park and there will be no consequences - they'll NEVER become serial trophy lifters.
Sunday’s defeat crossed a line. Supporters have had enough and will start voting with their feet. Crowds are dwindling already. Season ticket renewal forms are out in two months’ time. But aside from that, it’s the humiliation of it all. These fans have suffered too much pain. They’re being laughed at by their rivals across the city.
By losing at the weekend, they effectively gift-wrapped yet another Treble for Celtic. It will be their SIXTH in just nine seasons. That can’t go on. It’s unforgivable. Of course, you have to feel for Clement. He’s not the first Rangers manager and probably won’t be the last to be thrown under a bus by a squad which is mentally weak.
The attitude of some of them stunk the place out on Sunday. They can be bang at it when the big games come around, like against Spurs, Man United or even Celtic. But as for the bread and butter? Too many of them can’t be a***d. Also, judging by the Queen’s Park display a few of them have already started to believe their own hype.
At Parkhead the day before, the cup holders were faced with a similar tie against a mid-table Championship side. In the 10th minute, with Celtic already in front, Raith Rovers winger Dylan Easton got the ball in his own half. Within three seconds he was swarmed by FIVE Hoops players who took it off him. That’s hunger, desire, mindset and mentality.
They smother smaller teams into submission and don’t let them breathe. At Ibrox, there was none of that. Queen's Park were given the freedom of Govan to play their way into a game that Rangers players thought they just had to turn up for to win.
Clement is a good man and a good manager. You don’t win three league titles in Belgium - especially his Genk success - without having something about you. And the verbal abuse he took from furious punters as he left Ibrox on Sunday was a disgrace. Clement deserves more respect.
But maybe walking that gauntlet will have told him that his time in Glasgow could be up. The question is, who will this Rangers board be able to attract who’s any better? With the salary they’ll be offering, it’s highly unlikely they’ll get a foreign coach with a more impressive CV. Do they take that easy option again and give it to newly appointed Moroccan number two, Issame Charai, who was handed a hefty three-and-a-half year contract at Ibrox just a fortnight ago? Whichever way they go, someone has to stand up, show some balls and be decisive.
So far, the silence has been deafening from new CEO Patrick Stewart and chairman Fraser Thornton. As it stands, 72 hours have passed and there’s been nothing. That tells you they don’t WANT to do it. Unfortunately for them and Clement - the fans will demand they have to.
