Journalist shares verdict on Philippe Clement after meeting new Rangers boss
Jonny McFarlane has shared his verdict on Phillipe Clement after meeting the new Rangers boss in person.
Speaking on the Rangers Review YouTube channel on Wednesday (18 October), the journalist said he thought the Belgian was “terrific” in his first press conference as the Gers manager and that his “tempered enthusiasm” was ratcheted up after interviewing him personally.
He added that the 49-year-old is a “warm and engaging character”, but that you “wouldn’t want to cross him” after he was appointed as Michael Beale’s successor at Ibrox on Sunday (15 October).
“I thought Clement was terrific,” said McFarlane. “I think like most people would say, overall from the cast of characters Rangers were looking at, none of them grabbed me as being absolutely, 100 per cent a perfect fit. But certainly of the candidates, he was the one that looked to me like the best fit, given that he’s won three trophies with two clubs in Belgium.
“I have to say that my general feeling of tempered enthusiasm was ratcheted up having met him in person. I sat down with Phillipe Clement for 10 to 15 minutes and he’s a hugely warm and engaging character, but also has that sort of edge about him, where you just wouldn’t want to cross him. The guy is 6’3″, I can confirm he’s built like a tank, he’s a big guy as well as being tall.”
Presence
It’s pretty fair to say that Clement has a presence about him, not just by the way he speaks but also in terms of his large stature.
The new Rangers manager was impressive in his first press conference without giving too much away on what his plans are on the playing side.
The Belgian has arrived at Ibrox with some decent experience behind him, having won three titles in his home country with Genk and Club Brugge.
It didn’t pan out quite as well as he would have hoped in France with Monaco, but he did record some success in his first few months in charge by helping them to a third-place finish after joining midway through the campaign.
He will be hoping to get off to a good start when the Gers face Hibernian on Saturday (21 October) as he looks to help them claw their way back into the SPFL title race this season.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has shared an “absolutely massive” opportunity for Clement at Ibrox.