Philippe Clement signs off on own Rangers sack with bizarre decision
Rangers lost 2-1 to St Mirren on Boxing Day in the Scottish Premiership, and Philippe Clement has seemingly signed off on his sacking after the bizarre decision he made pre-match.
The Gers travelled to Paisley on 26 December, looking to secure their place in second place after the 1-0 win over Dundee on 21 December.
Clement made some surprising changes to his starting lineup as a stoppage-time winner from Caolan Boyd-Munce handed the Light Blues the loss.
Danilo had brought the Glaswegian outfit level at the hour mark after they’d gone behind as Oisin Smyth beat Jack Butland from the spot in the first half.
After a poor start to the season, the Belgian manager had been under pressure at the Bears but has managed to quell some of the noise around his future after impressive performances in recent weeks.
But the 50-year-old head coach seems hell-bent on being relieved of his duties, as he dropped Nicolas Raskin from the team against the Saints.
Nicolas Raskin decision in Rangers loss v St Mirren baffling from Philippe Clement
The Belgian midfielder has been one of the best players at the Gers as performances have started to improve in the current campaign.
With the 23-year-old missing the start of the season due to injury, Rangers found it challenging to maintain solidity in the middle of the park.
Clement seemed reluctant to give Raskin opportunities in the starting lineup, but the Belgian looked to have changed his mind.
With the defensive midfielder in the lineup, the Light Blues had won five of their last six fixtures in the Scottish Premiership before the St Mirren loss.
Clement explained the decision to overlook Raskin was due to him being one suspension away from an automatic suspension, but the Gers are quite simply not in a position to rest their best player.
It was a silly call from Clement and one that backfired, meaning yet more ground has been lost on Celtic in the title race.
The Bears are now 12 points behind Celtic in the league table and it looks improbable that Clement’s team will be able to catch them.
Raskin needs to start, and if the Belgian seems reluctant, Patrick Stewart needs to pull the plug on his tenure at the Glaswegian outfit.
In other Rangers news, Chris Jack has issued a “critical” update after the loss to the Saints.
For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.