Philippe Clement ‘signs own death warrant’ with public Rangers comments
Philippe Clement is on increasingly thin ice at Rangers after his side’s shock defeat to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup.
The Belgian made unwanted history at Ibrox on Sunday, as his side became the first Rangers team ever to lose at home to lower-league opposition, and as a result, the blame is being laid squarely at Clement’s door.
Despite a raft of off-field problems and simultaneous success for the Gers in Europe, Clement is quickly running out of road in Govan and his position at Ibrox is now seen as untenable in the eyes of almost all fans.
Clement has had no shortage of excuses for his side’s lacklustre results on the domestic front this term, but no manager in the club’s history can – nor has ever had to – defend such an embarrassing defeat.
Rangers ‘death warrant’ already signed by Philippe Clement
Writing in The Daily Record (12 February), Scott McDermott took aim at Clement for his bizarre post-match comments after Rangers‘ defeat at Ibrox, in which he fell back on statistics to defend his side’s display.
McDermott said: “Someone at Rangers really ought to have banned the Belgian from talking about ‘shots on target’ after losing to a team who drew with East Kilbride in the Challenge Cup the previous week.
“And for Clement to shrug off the suggestion of a season with no trophies by saying other managers have done the same? He signed his own death warrant in the eyes of the supporters.”
No way back for Philippe Clement at Rangers
While it’s true that the Gers did manage nine shots on target to Queen’s Park’s one – including James Tavernier’s saved penalty at the death – that’s to be expected given the disparity between the two sides.
The Light Blues’ financial problems are nothing new, but compared to the Spiders, who only turned fully professional in 2019, their strength across every single position is light years ahead.
As a result, Clement is in no position to use his side’s dominance of the possession and chances at Ibrox as any kind of defence for one of the very worst results in the entire 153-year history of Rangers.
Once a manager has lost the support of the fans, his cards are marked, and though Ibrox was almost half-empty by the time of the full-time whistle on Sunday, those remaining made their voices heard.
Clement’s post-match interviews have been almost as painful viewing as some of his side’s football this term, and both have left the fanbase at breaking point, with the Belgian somehow still in a job.
Ibrox emptying at such a rapid rate should set alarm bells ringing for the Bears’ hierarchy, but it’s hardly surprising to see that supporters are contemplating turning their backs on Rangers.