Rangers fans know by now that Philippe Clement is the kind of manager who won’t have any passengers in his squad.
The Belgian is a hard taskmaster and that is exactly the type of leader a flailing Gers first-team needed after the sacking of the wholly inept Michael Beale.
He is straightforward with the media and doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone. Clement also isn’t one to moan about anything that is outwith his control too much and his methods definitely work – the Viaplay Cup win tells you everything you need to know.
But Connor Goldson has been on hand to reiterate what is now common knowledge and what many players now working under Clement have said about the former Club Brugge boss.
Goldson has been speaking to the Rangers Review during the Ibrox giants’ training camp in La Manga about Clement and touched on his manager’s no-nonsense attitude, honesty and hard work ethic that spills over into the players.
Connor Goldson on Philippe Clement
Asked to sum up how Clement has been in and around the club since arriving in October, Goldson responded brilliantly.
He said: “The club needed someone to come in and say ‘It is my way or the high way’ and I think that is what he has done. He set his precedent very early and you can see in some team selections or decisions that he has made that it is his way or you are not going to play.
“That means that everyone is on board and everyone is pulling in the same direction. At the same time, he is a good man manager and a good people person, he speaks well and clearly. He is honest, which I think is the only thing you can ask for as a player. I think that is why he will get the best out of this club.
“(He’s) really good. He is clear and precise in everything he wants, he demands high standards in everything that we do and 100 per cent in everything that we do.
“I think he has gained the respect very quickly of the team in every area, tactically, the way he wants to play, discipline around the club, respect for other people and the way he wants you to train.
“There are no easy days and there are no days where you are able to give, 60, 70, 80 per cent in training. I love that. It is the way that I am and it is something that this place has craved for a long time.”
