Rangers press briefing was arranged amid Philippe Clement frustration
Rangers arranged a press briefing last month after Philippe Clement became frustrated, according to Hugh Keevins.
Keevins claimed on page 61 of the Sunday Mail (9 February) that Clement had spoken up with the hierarchy at Ibrox after facing continuous non-football-related questions.
The transitional phase has ebbed on in the background in Govan with several boardroom changes having been made within the past 12 months, including the arrival of Patrick Stewart as CEO.
Clement tires of non-football press activity
Keevins’ column on Sunday has suggested Clement had called for a press briefing on non-football matters to come from Stewart, during which he publicly backed the Belgian as manager (Sky Sports) – a call met with derision from fans and the media alike including Chris Sutton who branded it a “cop-out”.
The 50-year-old had been and continues to be under major supporter scrutiny but with the Scottish Cup and Europa League now the only realistic avenues of progress, Rangers would be considered unlikely to make any drastic managerial swap before the summer.
Clement had been batting off media questions over events behind the scenes following which Stewart attempted to clear many of these matters up while the manager focused on the action on the pitch.
Following a major overhaul which began in the summer with many experienced players leaving Ibrox, Rangers have been left behind in the Scottish title race and have suffered fluctuating form this season, bringing the clouds immediately over Clement.
Stewart, however, appears content with how the boss is performing as changes are implemented in the background – the void he himself filled constituting one major issue for much of the campaign.
Rangers turn attention to cup action
Rangers are deserted in second place in the Scottish Premiership this season, with a gap of 13 points and 16 points either side of them in the table.
This has encouraged Clement to utilise his youngsters more often, especially given the ‘B’ team at Ibrox are now no longer competing in the Lowland League.
Rotation is once again anticipated for the fifth round of the Scottish Cup later on Sunday (9 February), with fellow Glaswegian side Queen’s Park of the Championship making the trip.
Should the Gers get the job done, they will enter the hat for the quarter-finals alongside Celtic, Dundee, Hibernian, St Johnstone and second-tier Livingston, who have all so far sealed their place with two further ties yet to be determined.
The most exciting factor left of the campaign however is undoubtedly the potentially lucrative Europa League journey, for which the Light Blues have secured passage into the last 16 and will soon discover their opponents.