Dave MacKinnon makes ‘hugely important’ Philippe Clement admission as Rangers title verdict shared
It is hugely important that Philippe Clement is a leader and not just a coach after taking charge at Rangers, according to Dave MacKinnon.
Speaking to The National on Tuesday (24 October), the pundit said the Gers need the Belgian to be a “figurehead”, pointing to previous successful managers such as Graeme Souness, Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat and Steven Gerrard as people to emulate.
He added that some people have already written the Light Blues off for the SPFL title this season, but he believes they could be back in it if they win each of their three Old Firm games.
“The club needs a leader,” said MacKinnon. “If you look back at when Rangers were on top of the Premiership and were doing well in Europe, they had a leader. They need a leader, a strong character, to take the club forward. They need a manager who is a figurehead, not just a coach.
“Look back at the successful managers Rangers have had over the years – Graeme Souness, Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat and even Steven Gerrard – that is what they were. That is key, it is hugely important.
“Somebody said to me the other day, ‘the league is finished’. It isn’t. There are still another three Old Firm games. If you win them then you are right back in things. I don’t think the players are as bad as everyone is making out.
“When you come into a club like Rangers, a lot of players don’t quite understand the size of the club and what they have to achieve. If Clement becomes the leader they need it will be interesting to see what they can do.”
Balancing act
There is a real balance that you need to achieve on becoming the Rangers manager as you need to show passion without being over the top and show leadership without being too much of an authoritarian.
Clement has a real presence about him, but he also comes across as a warm character, so the indications are there that he could potentially strike that balance.
Michael Beale got too involved with certain matters away from the pitch and that proved to be his downfall as his judgement in certain situations was pretty questionable.
MacKinnon is right that the SPFL title isn’t gone for the Gers yet, but they will have to remain just about perfect over the next few months and take advantage when they come up against Celtic.
The main thing for the Light Blues at the moment in time, though, is to just start looking like more of a team and show signs that they can work together to deliver future succes at Ibrox.
In other Rangers news, a highly-rated transfer guru has turned the club down following an approach.