Clement accused of committing football crime amid ‘Woeful’ Rangers verdict
Stephen McGarry has accused Philippe Clement of committing a football crime after he made seven changes to the Rangers line-up for their game against Motherwell.
Clement was the subject of criticism after he made multiple changes for the clash, which finished 2-2, citing fitness and injury worries as the reason behind the changes.
Despite being key players in the side of late, Hamza Igamane and Vaclav Cerny were among those names who had to settle for coming into the side as a substitution when they then helped to change the game.
Writing in the Scottish Daily Mail (31 December, page 62), McGarry slammed Clement for thinking too far ahead as he wrote: “Instead, what Clement’s players produced for 45 minutes was simply woeful.
“And having held both Nico Raskin and Danilo in reserve until the situation was critical, the Belgian stood accused of one of football’s crimes. Looking beyond the game that’s immediately in front of you.”
Philippe Clement is on borrowed time at Rangers
Clement took quite a risk in making as many changes as he did against Motherwell on Sunday but it is a decision that certainly did not pay off and instead, could spell the end of his time at Ibrox.
While one or two changes may have been justified, the sheer amount of alterations from the manager led to a terrible first half from the Gers who ended up being lucky to come away with a 2-2 draw after their opponents had two goals disallowed in the game.
It was a better second half with some stronger names and in-form players being substituted in but at that point, it was too late to turn the game around and for many, the result simply felt like a defeat.
Although the game against Celtic is an important one for Clement, his actions in Sunday’s game have put all of the pressure on him to get a result now because if he doesn’t surely that will see him in an untenable position at Ibrox.
While the Belgian will be hoping he has a fresh side with a quick turnaround between the games, what he also has is a team that is now unsettled, lacks momentum and a fanbase with growing impatience.
In other Rangers news, Stephen Warnock has hit back at a Sky Sports host after what he said about a controversy in the Mothewell clash.
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