Philippe Clement ‘would be sacked’ if he did what was just suggested at Rangers
Philippe Clement is certainly walking on thin ice as Rangers manager and isn’t taking any risks at Ibrox.
The Belgian appears to be safe in his job after securing a fortunate 3-1 win away against Hearts on Sunday (16 February).
The ex-Monaco boss owes Jamie McCart after the defender netted two own goals alongside a Vaclav Cerny strike to hand the Gers three points.
Despite coming away from Tynecastle with a victory, the Light Blues’ head coach has been questioned for his team selection.
Philippe Clement would risk Rangers job with youthful approach
Tom Lawrence was welcomed back into the starting 11 against the Maroons but failed to have any sort of positive impact.
Given that the 31-year-old is out of contract at the end of the campaign and has gone without a goal since October, other options could be better placed to start for the Gers.
Darrell Currie questioned this on the Scottish Football Social Club (17 February) who suggested academy talents could be better placed to feature.
He said: “I know you want to win football games but why not play other players or younger players, wouldn’t this be the time to see what they’ve got.”
Despite being a positive idea, it poses a risk that former Light Blues defender Alan Hutton believes wouldn’t be worth it for Clement and his job prospects.
The ex-right back replied: “He did that against Queens Park and for me, they hit the panic and changed it at half time.
“The point being, if he does that in this game against Hearts away and plays Bailey Rice or some younger talent who’s coming through, and they lose again, he’s going to get the sack.
“He’s trying to lean on guys who he thinks are best at this moment in time to get him through games.”
Philippe Clement must take Rangers risk
Despite receiving public backing from Patrick Stewart, the Light Blues’ head coach must be edging ever closer to facing the axe.
Performances haven’t been good enough and the 50-year-old has failed to get the best out of the likes of Nedim Bajrami who represented a large outlay at Ibrox.
With pressure already building for the Belgian, it would make more sense for him to take a risk by utilising young players with the future in mind.
This may prove to have a negative impact on results but there is likely to be more acceptance by fans in Govan if that is the case.
Seeing players like Rice, Ross McCausland and Findlay Curtis playing on a weekly basis would be viewed favourably by supporters and could give Clemen more time in his role.
It doesn’t appear that this type of change is going to be on the cards at Ibrox regardless of the difference it could make, especially with nothing to play for domestically this campaign.