Journalist claims Philippe Clement is setting ‘higher standards’ at Rangers
Dean Jones has claimed Philippe Clement is already setting higher standards and expectations at Rangers, although it may take a while for the boss to implement his whole philosophy.
The former Eurosport journalist insisted that the new boss is set on restoring Rangers to past glories and the work he has done so far since his arrival at Ibrox has been a positive step forward.
Jones also suggested that there is a nervousness about the club at the moment after what happened with Michael Beale, but Clement is setting up a new culture.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT on 2 November, Jones shared: “He’s only been there a few weeks. It will take longer than that to implement his whole football philosophy on the club.
“But I think it’s really encouraging, at least, that this side is showing a mentality that matters. He is set on restoring this club to past glories and getting some silverware under his belt as soon as possible.
“The way that he’s talking about that is very positive. This team is hard to trust because of what we’ve seen recently under Michael Beale. I think that there’s a nervousness about the whole place.
“That’s natural because they haven’t been a good team, and they’ve had some really poor moments. But they’ve now got a manager who seems like he’s setting higher standards and higher expectation levels, and, for whatever reason, the players seem to be buying into it.
“Even if they’re not showing that in a technical aspect, they’re at least showing it mentally.”
A strong start
It has been a strong start for Clement at Rangers, but the real test will be whether he can keep up his immediate influence on the squad.
Reports emerged on 1 November that the new boss was aiming to make drastic changes to the fitness of the squad, with the use of a cryo chamber which had reportedly barely been touched before his arrival. [Daily Record]
The manager is aiming to improve the general fitness of his squad after inheriting an injury-hit side who have struggled with fitness all season, and Clement has immediately identified the issue.
Another early improvement has been the style of play. Going from the lost-looking squad under Beale to a coherent and organised setup within a couple of weeks of his arrival is an impressive feat, but there is still plenty for this squad to learn.
If the rapid improvement and identification of issues around the club continue over the coming weeks and months, Clement will have established himself fully into Rangers, and the signs, for now, are good.
In other Rangers news, the scenes against Dundee were a criminal offence.