Rangers manager Philippe Clement was in positive mood after his side defeated Hibs in the Scottish Premiership.
The Belgian manager was addressing a post-match press conference after goals from Ridvan Yilmaz, Todd Cantwell, and Cyriel Dessers cut the gap at the top of the Premiership to five points.
Rangers ditched their post-winter break hoodoo with the 3-0 victory and there are high hopes building around the club’s title tilt this season.
Here’s every word from the ex-AS Monaco manager as Rangers’ engine starts to rev after the January shutdown:
Philippe Clement post-match press conference – Hibs v Rangers
Philippe a 3-0 win, could’ve been more, tough place to come, what’s your overall take on the evening?
“That it was a good performance. For sure after our first goal. Before I had some remarks about some things what we talked about at half time. A really good second half, a lot of domination, good play on the ball, not giving away too many chances against a good team. Because that we knew also. Hibs is a team who’s really good on the ball, with good building, with good technical qualities, so the first step was to play a really good game without ball, to work really hard as a team, what the boys did. We had more than 60% ball possession. It’s not easy against Hibs because normally they have a lot of the ball because of their playing style. So that was the first step. Second step was to do the good things with the ball and to have the right runs to create space for ourselves and also to be cool in our finishes, so I’m really happy with that also. The three goals, and for me it’s four goals, one is disallowed and it’s correct, I’ve seen it, it was a few centimetres offside. But it’s also a good goal. Good attack and a few good saves of the goalkeeper also. Clean sheet also important but we need to be honest about that, that Jack also made a few good saves, it’s not that Hibs didn’t create any chances. But after this evening everybody will say that they saw a good Rangers team and good football. I think because of both the teams this was a good advertisement for Scottish football for everybody who watched the game; if you are a Hibs fan, if you are a Rangers fan, or you are supporting another team or you are from an another country, this is the kind of football I think people want to see.”
Philippe were you happy with that level of performance in your first league game back after the winter break?
“It’s crucial, ay? We have this marathon. One moment you need to stop because it’s winter break, we were with a good tempo, with a good pace at that moment, winning a lot of points. Then you need to see how you come out of the winter break. We had a special challenge in Dumbarton, because of the circumstances also. The players did a really professional game there by doing the right things on that kind of pitch but it’s not so easy and it looks easier than it is. And then we we needed a reaction today also against a team who is good on the ball to do the right things and you see that everybody is really involved and I think that is our biggest strength. All the guys who came in also had good impact on the game. So that’s been our strength the last couple of months, that whoever is playing in whatever position, they know what to do, and they do everything for the team and they work really hard together. And that’s why we are getting much more points now.”
Just before he scored the second goal, Todd (Cantwell) as if like he picked up an injury, is he ok?
“It’s too fast to assess that, but it looks OK for the moment. So I hope tomorrow also. After that he made a really good goal but I didn’t want to take any risk with those things. Same with Nico (Raskin), his foot was sleeping. We thought it was because of the tape, we took the tape out but he had still the same sensation. So you cannot play on one foot, that’s why I made the two changes at half-time already. And the two players who came in they had already directly impact on the game so that’s our strength and that needs to be our strength the next couple of months.”
Abdallah (Sima) has undergone surgery, can you put a timeline on that? Perhaps two or three months?
“I said it already before the game, eh? I told you guys in the press conference I can tell it when I have all the information. The surgery went well, the surgeon was pleased how it went, everything went good, so it will be in between two or three months that he will be out.”
Goal scorers get headlines here but can you give me your thoughts on your goalkeeper because he continues to make saves at key moments which keeps your team on track?
“Yeah but it’s about everybody and to be honest after a game like this I don’t even remember who scored the goals. Because it’s for me it’s not important who scored the goals, it’s as a team scoring goals and coming in these positions. And it’s the same with Jack of course he will make the saves because the other guys will get red cards if they make saves with their hands, but for example John (Souttar) also made a really good save at the end with his chest. No, it’s team effort and that’s what we wanted to create a few months ago, to see a team all the time on the pitch, and the guys are doing that now. I hope also after several victories that they keep on understanding where it’s coming from. It’s not falling out of the sky, it’s about a lot of effort, it’s about a lot of solidarity and it’s about not having too big an ego to play for yourself. So I’m going to be really strict on that and to look at the team and making team decisions. And like this I told them yesterday after the training also, they give me quite a headache for the moment to pick a starting XI but that’s a good thing. I hope they give me a lot of headaches the next couple of months.”
Are you about to give them a headache in the next couple of weeks because you’ve demanded more faces come in to take it to the next level? Is that the absolute priority for you?
“No we need in the squad, to be competitive in three competitions, we’re going to need that. But it doesn’t mean that if a new player comes in that he has guarantee to play. It’s about showing yourself and showing that you are the best. And I don’t care if somebody is new or cost a lot of money or is 17 or 37 or has the biggest contract or the smallest contract in the team, it is just about what you show in the training. It’s about that and being part of a team, and wanting to be part of a team.”
You managed to score three goals without Abdallah (Sima), do you still need more goals in the team? Do you think you have enough?
“No, we always need more goals and we still can improve that. We still had a few chances that we can be more cool, we can have more overview, but those are the steps to take as a squad. We’re working on that, not only on that, on a lot of things everyday. But you see improvement with every player. If I compare with three months ago I don’t see one player who has lowered his level and that’s what we need to do with all staff together, with all players together also to be hungry, to be ambitious, to become better. And then I will make decisions. Everybody who shows themselves that they are hungry for the team, not for themselves but for the team, and giving everything, they will get chances to play because we have a lot of games.
You’ve said repeatedly that you’re happy that Ridvan’s focus is on Rangers despite speculation about his future but he showed that tonight didn’t he?
“Yes of course otherwise he would never be on the pitch. If I see something else he will never be on the pitch or be in the selection, that’s clear. So we can only work and win games with players who are involved with the club and give everything. Is that a guarantee that a player is here next week? That never know. And it’s with every position on the field. But as long as they’re a player of Rangers they need to give their best and I will give them chances. But it’s transfer market there are a lot of rumours, I have to say a lot of wrong rumours. Much more wrong than right. But I cannot go into detail because then I’m talking all the time about rumours and I prefer to talk about football and work with my players to make them better.”
Can I just ask about Abdallah will he remain at the club? Was that a conversation you had due to the length of the injury and does that maybe make you look at another player in that position to maybe strengthen this window if he’s out for a significant period of time?
“First about Abda, those are things that we discuss with Brighton so that’s the first step. Secondly I don’t talk about positions or what we’re going to do. I think everybody is getting bored of my answers already after a few weeks but speak with Belgian journalists they had it a few years like that every transfer market. But it is the way it is. I cannot speak about those things. I speak about those things in the club, that’s the most important.”
Have those conversations with Brighton already taken place or are they still to take place about Abda?
“We have been talking about everything but not with all the details.”
