Philippe Clement sack: Rangers manager ‘clinging on’ as Kris Boyd drops verdict
Kris Boyd is not going to change his stance over Philippe Clement regardless of how Rangers play between now and the end of the season.
Clement’s future as Rangers manager came back into question after the 1-0 defeat against Queen’s Park at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup on 9 February.
While many fans and pundits called for the Belgian tactician to be sacked as a result, the decision-makers in Govan made no such call to the surprise of some.
The 50-year-old, meanwhile, returned to winning ways at the weekend, leading the Light Blues to a 3-1 victory over Hearts away from home on Sunday, 16 February.
Kris Boyd makes Philippe Clement claim
While Clement does not appear to be under immediate threat of being sacked by Rangers, Boyd is of the view that the former Monaco boss is clinging on to his job in Glasgow.
The pundit also insisted that the Gers faithful will not forgive the manager for crashing out of the Scottish Cup due to a defeat against a second-tier club earlier this month, although the club are not, particularly in a disastrous condition.
“You’re now in the middle of February, it’s not been good enough away from home, but at the same time, you look at Rangers now, went to Tannadice, went to Tynecastle, won the two games”, Boyd said on The Scottish Sun’s Go Ballistic show (18 February).
“Rangers are in a decent place in terms of the league domestically, they have been scoring goals, but it doesn’t matter.
“I think between now and the end of the season, if Rangers go and win every game, they ain’t going to win the league.
“I don’t think the Rangers fans are going to forget what happened last weekend because it wasn’t good enough.
“For me, Philippe Clement, he might win a game of football, but he’s clinging on to his job.”
Philippe Clement stays on at Rangers
There have been several instances this season when fans and pundits wanted the Rangers hierarchy to pull the plug on Clement.
The absence of a CEO and a permanent chairman appeared to be the only reason why he was not sacked in the first half of the season.
However, the Light Blues have since hired Patrick Stewart and Fraser Thornton as their CEO and chairman, but that has not affected Clement’s job by any means.
There seems to be a reluctance to sack Clement regardless of how bad the results are on the pitch, with some attributing it to the club’s financial situation.
However, as Boyd said, Clement cannot think he is untouchable at Ibrox as Stewart may still sack him if the results do not improve and become consistent.
As things stand, it would not be a surprise if Rangers have a new manager at the helm come the start of next season.
It remains to be seen if he can buy himself some more time in Scotland.