Philippe Clement time at Rangers ‘over’ – Four Lads
Philippe Clement is heading towards an “inevitable” sacking at Rangers after his side crashed out of the Scottish Cup to Queens Park.
The Gers lined up with a heavily rotated side at Ibrox and were left shell-shocked as Seb Drozd’s 69th-minute strike proved to be the match-winner on Sunday (9 February).
James Tavernier may have sealed the Belgian’s fate after goalkeeper Calum Ferrie thwarted his penalty effort in the dying embers of the contest.
Nevertheless, what unfolded across the 90 minutes in front of a stunned Ibrox could very well be the final nail in the coffin for Clement at Rangers.
It is ‘over’ for Philippe Clement at Ibrox
The Belgian has cut a controversial figure at the Gers throughout what has proven to be a disastrous campaign.
He has been at the centre of a well-documented divide between the Ibrox outfit and the supporters after a series of planned protests aimed at the under-fire boss occurred in recent weeks.
Nevertheless, the shock Scottish Cup exit has pushed the fanbase well past boiling point, with Four Lads taking to X (9 February) to vent their frustrations towards Clement.
“[It] doesn’t matter when it happens, it should now be inevitable. Philippe Clement’s time as Rangers manager is over, no one should survive that especially with zero credit in the bank. Get him out.”
After all the ups and downs that the Rangers faithful have endured with the boss throughout the course of the season – losing against a Scottish Championship side at Ibrox must be the final straw for Clement.
Rangers must listen to the supporters and sack Clement
While there has been plenty of positive news to shout about as of late, including the Gers’ “huge” achievement of securing a top-eight finish in the Europa League, there can be no way back for the boss this time around.
However, the bleak reality facing the Light Blues is that, given the calibre of opponents remaining in Europe’s second-tier competition, it is highly unlikely they will be able to replicate a final appearance achieved under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in 2022.
Therefore, the Scottish Cup was the last glimmer of hope for the Gers to end the 2024/25 campaign with silverware.
How many times must Clement prove that he is no longer the long-term option to bring the glory days back to Ibrox?
The 13-point gap to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership is a damning reminder of his ability, and the penalty shootout loss in the Scottish League Cup final against their Glaswegian rivals is evidence enough that no challenge to the Hoops is possible under the current boss.
By no stretch of the imagination should the loss at home against Queens Park be allowed to fly without severe repercussions – play that fixture over 100 times, and the hosts should win the match all of 99 times.
Even the most optimistic supporter can’t justify Clement seeing out the remainder of the campaign at Ibrox, but history tells the board will do just that.
Not this time, he simply has to go.