Keith Jackson hits out at Philippe Clement decision after Rangers loss v Kilmarnock

Keith Jackson has condemned the decision to hand Philippe Clement his contract extension following Rangers' defeat to Kilmarnock on Sunday (20 October).

The Belgian put pen to paper on a new deal at Ibrox on 2 August, seeing him extend his stay until 2028, a decision that has been criticised.

After Aberdeen and Celtic drew at Celtic Park on Saturday 19 October, Clement's side had the perfect opportunity to close the gap but fell to a 1-0 defeat to the Killie at Rugby Park instead.

Writing via the Daily Record on Monday (21 October), Jackson said: "Of course, at least they have the comfort of knowing that the board has tied up Clement on a bumper new extended contract. Right?

"Well, maybe not because the very idea of slapping a pair of golden handcuffs on the manager’s wrists is looking more and more like another knee-jerk decision based on nothing much more than all-out panic."

Were Rangers right to hand Philippe Clement a new contract?

At the time, John Bennett clearly wanted to show consolidation between those at Ibrox, showing the fans that Clement was here to stay and complete his turnaround of the Gers.

However, the club have continued to falter on and off the pitch, with the Belgian's side now six points behind Celtic and Aberdeen, completely blowing their chance to close the gap.

Of course, lifting the Scottish Premiership title is the main ambition for the Gers this season, hoping to beat their Old Firm rivals, but they are now closer to Dundee United in fourth than anyone else.

With a Europa League clash against FCSB coming up at Ibrox, Clement has some incredibly important fixtures in terms of his future as the league title already looks lost for the Gers.

The manager is, undoubtedly, under the most pressure he has experienced since arriving at Ibrox, and it seems like a very difficult task to turn things around, especially with the fans.

In other Rangers news, an ex-player has issued an update on his potential return to the club and has already spoken to the current first-team squad.

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