Philippe Clement sends Scottish Premiership title message to Celtic after landing first Rangers silverware
Philippe Clement is hoping to bring the Scottish Premiership title back to Rangers “as fast as possible” after wasting no time in landing his first piece of silverware.
The Belgian, appointed as Michael Beale’s successor on 15 October, guided Rangers to Viaplay Cup success at the weekend with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in the final.
The Gers now turn focus back to league matters, with Celtic just five points better off having played a game more ahead of the sides facing off on 30 December.
Speaking after the victory at Hampden, as per The Scotsman [18 December], Clement said: “I had the feeling the fans believed from the first day. I never had a different feeling about that. I know we are going to bring back the title, we will try to do it as fast as possible.
“It is a big marathon. It is hard work. But I know what the road is to take with this club. This was also one of the reasons to come. One moment we will take it, because we will work really hard for that.
“But we have no control about how other teams are performing. Winning titles is winning marathons. I won a few marathons together with other teams, with other staffs, with other player groups so I know how to get there.
“And we will go hard for that. But of course there are also opponents with a lot of qualities.”
Room for another
One trophy down; hopefully at least one more to come before the end of the season.
The Scottish Cup begins next month, but the Scottish Premiership and Europa League are what get supporters particularly excited.
The Gers showed just last year that they have what it takes to go on a deep run in Europe, while their form in the league is hugely encouraging.
Clement has completely transformed the club since taking over just a couple of months ago, so much so that supporters are now feeling greedy.
Getting a trophy in the bag early on is always a nice feeling, but 2023-24 will be considered a disappointment if no further trophies are won.
All the Gers can do for now is continue winning games, starting with the visit of St Johnstone in the league on Wednesday (20 December).
In other Rangers news, a journalist hit out at Aberdeen manager Barry Robson over his “strange” comments regarding the Gers.