Is this the end for Philippe Clement at Rangers?
The dreadful final nail hammered into a coffin which has long seemed the fated destination for a manager who, even in happier times at Ibrox, was never really the flavour of the month amongst a sceptical Rangers fanbase.
The odd impressive performance here and there may have bought Philippe Clement some time – Rangers started 2025 by hammering Celtic 3-0 and then secured qualification for the last-16 of the Europa League – but defeats like the ones suffered against Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, St Mirren, Queen’s Park and St Mirren again have created what appears to be an unrepairable strain between fans and coach.
Ian McCall, the former Rangers midfielder, cannot help but wonder if the players – like many on the terraces – have given up on the former Monaco, Genk and Club Brugge boss.
McCall watched on in horror as former Rangers flop Declan John outshone James Tavernier. He saw Clinton Nsiala – the young defender earned comparisons with Virgil van Dijk only a few weeks ago – put in his worst performance since arriving in Scotland.
Cyriel Dessers’ post New Year revival appeared to have shuddered to a halt. And, on this evidence, those Premier League suitors may be having second thoughts about potential big-money bids for either Jefte or Hamza Igamane this summer.
Philippe Clement should ‘be worried’ as Rangers lose to St Mirren
“If I was Philippe Clement, I’d be worried because some of the players looked like they’d chucked it,” McCall fears, speaking to BBC Sport.
“Woeful. Truly woeful.”
Now, a common sighting during Clement’s press conferences after a poor result has been a man desperately scrambling to find positives like a needle in a proverbial haystack. This time, however, there was no attempt to hide behind the stats.
Rangers mustered 17 shots and dominated 66 per cent of the possession. But, with his excuses waring thin at this point in his tenure, Clement could only pluck up the courage to apologise.
“I can only say sorry and apologise [to the Rangers fans] from me and the team,” Clement sighed. “This is not what Rangers teams need to show on the pitch. We all know this was by far below the standards we all expect.
“We were very nervous from the start of the game on the ball, which created chances for the opponent. We had spells where we were better. But, by far, not good enough for the standards of Rangers.
“It is difficult to explain. Was it that they wanted to do too good, react and give the fans much more? We need to look at the root of the problem. At the end, it is my responsibility to get them with the right mindset on the pitch.”
Ian McCall feels this may be the end of Clement at Ibrox
For McCall, who spent two years at Rangers between 1987 and 1989, this may have been the death rattle of a manager aware of the inevitable.
“Philippe Clement sounds beaten,” McCall adds. “Today feels, to me, like a full stop.”
Rangers remain 13 points behind Celtic at the top of the Premiership standings.
They had the chance to reduce the gap after Brendan Rodgers’ runaway leaders slipped up at Hibernian. But, once Toyosi Olusanya doubled the lead given to St Mirren by Mikael Mandron early in the second-half, it became painfully clear there would be no riposte from the blue side of the city.
