Kris Boyd slams Clement over what he’s said in public ahead of Rangers v Celtic
Kris Boyd has slammed Philippe Clement after he told the media that James Tavernier would miss the Old Firm Derby between Rangers and Celtic without being prompted to do so.
The Gers are facing Celtic on Thursday (2 January) in what is a hugely important game for Clement, who is under sack pressure.
Rangers are currently sat second in the table and, due to the absence of players such as Tavernier and Jack Butland, Clement’s men already find themselves on the back foot heading into the game.
Speaking live on Sky Sports Main Event [2 January, 2:30pm], Sky pundit Boyd shared his thoughts on the way that the Belgian told Rangers’ fans and the media about their injuries for the derby at his pre-match press conference.
“There’s been a lot of early excuses put out there. As a manager, why would you want to say your full-back is out before anyone has a clue,” he said.
“Clement wasn’t even asked a question and he said Tavernier is out. Butland is another that needs addressing.
“He went on social media to clarify what was actually wrong with him because it was leaked. [Brendan] Rodgers spoke about a mole being inside the club; Clement is more or less telling everyone beforehand”.
Philippe Clement needs to make Rangers doubters eat their words
If Rangers were going into the Old Firm derby a couple of weeks ago, fans would likely be a lot more invested in how things were going to pan out.
That’s because, before the Gers’ defeat to St Mirren on Boxing Day, things were starting to look up for Clement at Ibrox with Hamza Igamane finding himself in the best form of his short Rangers career.
While the former AS Far man has kept in his purple patch recently, it feels like other areas of the Gers’ squad have let their fans and Clement down.
Of course, the Belgian’s tactical choices have got to be brought into question, but it feels like more should be coming from the players who have been chosen to start.
If the 50-year-old wants to keep his job at Ibrox, it feels like a win against Celtic is one of the only ways for him to do that because, if Rodgers’ men leave with all three points, their lead in the Scottish Premiership will increase to 17 and permanently squash any slim title chances they may have still had.
In other Rangers news, an EFL manager has shared whether his team are interested in making a move for a Gers youngster.
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