Philippe Clement sack latest shared by Sky Sports live from Ibrox
Sky Sports have shared the latest on under-fire Rangers manager Philippe Clement on the back of the embarrassing loss to Queen’s Park.
The Light Blues’ 1-0 defeat in the Scottish Cup on Sunday has sent shockwaves through Glasgow as Clement‘s side’s last realistic chance of domestic silverware went up in smoke following a dismal display.
Having already lost the League Cup final on penalties to Celtic and also trailing their Old Firm rivals by 13 points in the Premiership table, an “unacceptable” fifth-round Scottish Cup loss could finally spell the end for Clement.
Clement does have the Gers’ progression on the continent – they’re already through to the Europa League last 16 – as a silver lining, having done superbly to finish in the top eight of the league phase.
However, it remains to be seen if Clement will indeed be given the chance to see that campaign out.
Gordon Duncan provides Philippe Clement sack update at Rangers
Speaking on Sky Sports News (10 February, 10:00am), Duncan was asked for the latest with regards to Clement’s future at Ibrox.
“In the eyes of the fans he is under immense pressure – he already was really, this season there’s been so many disappointments,” Duncan said.
“It’s a league title which was already away from Rangers, they lost the League Cup final, their away form has been poor. This all led to serious mounting pressure on Philippe Clement anyway.
“If there was any support left amongst the fan base, it feels like that probably disappeared yesterday because of the scale of the embarrassment.
“Patrick Stewart gave a briefing a few weeks back when he backed Philippe Clement – but he said he could not offer cast-iron guarantees that would remain the case if results turned.
“Yesterday was massive – no one saw this coming. Very angry reaction in the stands at Ibrox, an angry reaction on social media, an angry reaction amongst every Rangers fan you speak to.
“You just wonder how much longer Philippe Clement can survive this negativity.”
Philippe Clement surely on borrowed time at Rangers
For all that the Gers board have backed Clement to see this season out at Ibrox, losing at home to lower-league opposition – for the first time in their history – puts the Belgian in an untenable position.
Clement can point to his players not executing the tactical plans he works on week-in, week-out, but given it’s hardly the first time the Bears have been insipid at home, his time is surely running out.
Their form away from Ibrox has often been the focus this term – and quite rightly so given how bad it’s been at times – but performances on home soil haven’t reflected the consistent results produced.
That strength consistency has now been thrown out the window in the form of Sunday’s embarrassing Scottish Cup exit, leaving Clement with only the Europa League as a trophy his side can hope to win.
Qualifying for the top eight (of 36 teams) is an impressive achievement, but against a backdrop of sheer underachievement domestically, Clement will need more than European results to save his job.
The rebuild Clement has overseen has borne some fruit so far this season, but given how limited those green shoots have been, it’s worth wondering whether another manager – albeit not Steven Gerrard – could get more out of these players.