Philippe Clement sack claim made at Rangers after ‘shocking’ reveal
Tam McManus believes a win against St Johnstone will not guarantee Philippe Clement safety at Rangers.
The Belgian is under immense pressure at Ibrox after the 1-1 draw against Dundee United on Thursday (9 January), with claims emerging that he could be sacked before the Gers host St Johnstone on Sunday (12 January).
McManus predicted a comfortable victory for Rangers via PLZ Soccer (11 January, 5m 12s), but believes their “shocking” away form could spell the end for Clement in the near future.
He said: “They’re two different teams [home and away], total Jekyll and Hyde. I think their home record this season is they’re unbeaten, eight wins and a draw, and the away record is shocking.
“They couldn’t have picked a better game, to be honest, to get back on track. St Johnstone, I think they’ll go down this season. So I think Rangers will win this game comfortably. They couldn’t have picked a better game, but he’s really under pressure now.
“You know you saw the other night the scenes at Dens Park, the fans are not happy with the way the team is playing. They’re going to be under pressure to win this.
“I just think they’ll win this game comfortably. But it’s just a state of execution for the manager because unless they pick their away form up, he’s not going to last too much longer for me.”
Philippe Clement must bounce back for Rangers v St Johnstone
While the Gers remain the overwhelming favourites to claim victory in the clash against St Johnstone, the result may have no overriding effect on the Belgian’s future.
Despite claiming a monumental 3-0 win against Celtic at Ibrox on 2 February, draws against Hibernian and Dundee have sent Clement back to square one.
The Light Blues have claimed a disastrous 13 points from 33 available in away matches in the Scottish Premiership this term, their worst away points tally at this stage in 19 years.
It is an embarrassing statistic for a club of Rangers’ stature and telling of Clement’s esteem as a manager, considering he comfortably boasts the second-best squad in Scotland.
The supporters have had enough, and rightfully so. The constant back and forth of taking one step forward and then two steps back while Celtic sit pretty, 15 points clear at the SPFL summit, is a tiring affair.
Many will be questioning why Clement still has a job at Ibrox, but the boss has a knack for pulling a victory out of his pocket when he needs it most – the act can only go on for so long before riots ensue in Glasgow.
A win against St Johnstone will keep the doubters at bay for the short term – but the next two away matches against Manchester United and Dundee United could very well seal his fate.
In other Rangers news, the latest Met Office update shares the likelihood on the postponement of the Gers clash v St Johnstone.
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