Chris Sutton admires what he’s seen Philippe Clement do at Rangers, sends Brendan Rodgers warning at Celtic
Chris Sutton has warned Brendan Rodgers and his Celtic team that they cannot “underestimate” new Rangers manager Philippe Clement and the Belgian’s “proven track record” could make the difference.
The TNT Sports pundit, speaking to Daily Record (21 October) says Rodgers will be relishing the opportunity to compete with the Belgian but Clement’s track record at previous jobs means Celtic cannot take the challenge lightly.
The Belgian takes over a Rangers side who are already seven points adrift of rivals Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table, meaning he already faces a tall order to wrest the title back to the blue half of Glasgow.
But Sutton believes Clement’s “realist” and “common sense” approach so far means the Rangers players will get a “bounce” from his appointment but it will be results that dictate his tenure at Ibrox.
He said: “Rodgers has a new challenge now with Philippe Clement in the door at Ibrox and he will not, and should not, be underestimated. As I said last week, the Celtic manager will be relishing the opportunity to throw a spanner in the workings of another Rangers manager.
“But the Belgian will get the respect I feel he deserves because, unlike Beale, Clement has a proven track record. Winning titles is the barometer and the fact he did so on three separate occasions in Belgium with Genk and Club Brugge tells you plenty.
“It’s also my belief he did a reasonable enough job at Monaco in the circumstances that he faced and my initial take on his words is good. He seems a straight down-the-line talker and a realist with the way he has spoken of his and Rangers’ situation.
“I’m not hearing bluster. I’m hearing common sense from Clement and the Rangers players are going to get a bounce out of his appointment, surely. The proof of the pudding is always, of course, in the eating and its results that will dictate how he progresses in Glasgow.”
Early results crucial
Already, we’ve seen Clement pull no punches or take no prisoners with some of his comments so far this week, regarding the task at hand at Ibrox and those were certainly said from experience.
Like Sutton said, Clement’s proven track record and winning mentality will certainly make a huge difference at Ibrox, arguably more than what Beale achieved who did not have the same culture he could call on when necessary.
The Belgian is a different kettle of fish and his recent progress at former clubs shows and that could well take Rangers further down the line than they’ve been over the past few seasons.
Indeed, Rodgers will need to be mindful because Clement knows what it takes to lead title battles but also chase them which means Celtic must be on guard throughout the rest of the campaign if they’re to topple Rangers once again.
With Celtic already seven points clear at the top though, and while Clement’s imprint and tactical nous may not be shown immediately overnight, early results on the board will be pivotal because the Gers cannot afford to lag further behind in the race at the top.
In other Rangers news, one inconsistent Ibrox defender must improve under Clement all be shown the Auchenhowie exit door in January.