Tom English shares why Rangers board stuck with Philippe Clement for so long
Rangers finally sacking Philippe Clement on Sunday was seen by many as weeks, if not months, overdue at Ibrox.
Clement was put out of his and Rangers‘ collective misery 24 hours after an embarrassing 2-0 loss at home to St Mirren on Saturday – their first Premiership defeat to the Buddies at Ibrox in a good 30 years.
The writing has been on the wall for the Belgian for some time in Govan, with their defeat to St Mirren coming just weeks after Championship side Queen’s Park knocked them out of the Scottish Cup.
Clement, therefore, had been a dead man walking for some time in the eyes of Rangers fans, but plenty of their ire has been turned towards the club’s board for their lack of action off the pitch at Ibrox.
Rangers regret behind-closed-doors Philippe Clement stance
Rangers’ board have come under heavy scrutiny for their seemingly blind faith in Clement, sticking by the Belgian after a dismal run of results before eventually sacking him despite financial difficulties.
| Manager | Matches | Win percentage | Honours |
| Giovanni van Bronckhorst | 68 | 61.76 per cent | 2022 Scottish Cup |
| Michael Beale | 43 | 72.09 per cent | – |
| Philippe Clement | 86 | 63.95 per cent | 2023/24 League Cup |
Writing for the BBC (24 February), journalist Tom English revealed that behind closed doors, the Ibrox hierarchy stuck by Clement for so long because they weren’t confident they could find a replacement with a better CV.
He said: “When Clement first came under pressure, there was clear word from his bosses at Ibrox that they were going to keep faith in him, that no good would come from sacking another manager and starting again.
“The point was made behind closed doors that if Clement’s CV arrived at Ibrox in anonymous form then the directors – and the supporters – would jump at the guy.
“They already had him. And the board were determined to keep him, or most of them at any rate.”
Clement and Rangers hierarchy have both run out of road
This season may only two thirds of the way through, yet there have been countless times that Clement’s position was untenable in the eyes of an increasingly frustrated (and bored) Rangers fanbase.
Not only are the Gers 13 points behind Celtic in the Premiership title race, they lost the League Cup to their Old Firm rivals on penalties and suffered that historic Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park at Ibrox.
As a result, it’s no surprise to see why so many Rangers fans made their minds up on Clement some time ago – and even more surprising that he’s managed to remain in his post for such a long time.
The Light Blues’ well-documented financial struggles were pitched as the main reason behind the club trying to avoid another mid-season sacking, but Sunday finally saw them break from that line of thinking.
Changes will be afoot at Ibrox in the coming months with the takeover of 49ers Enterprises ongoing, and it’s clear that after the lengthy debacle of Clement’s tenure, those at the top also need to be moved on.