Patrick Stewart appears to have given his backing to under-fire Rangers manager Philippe Clement.
But the comments stem from minutes in a special Rangers Fan Advisory Board meeting which took place BEFORE the disastrous Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park.
The Rangers board are under pressure from fans after an exhausting period of radio silence following the 1-0 defeat to the Spiders at Ibrox.
The Scottish Cup exit stands as one of the worst results in Rangers history and fans have led calls for Philippe Clement to be sacked as manager at Ibrox.
Patrick Stewart on Philippe Clement
According to minutes from the RFAB meeting, Patrick Stewart explained that the decision to retain Philippe Clement is not because the club cannot afford to sack the manager.
Given the information vacuum of the last few days, the likes of Kris Boyd had challenged the Rangers hierarchy to tell fans the decision on Clement’s future wasn’t financially motivated.
Reports have suggested that it would cost Rangers somewhere in the region of £1.2m to sack Philippe Clement at Ibrox.
But in a meeting with the Rangers Fan Advisory Board, which the group confirmed took place before the clash with Queen’s Park, Stewart explains the decision is a footballing one.
”Patrick Stewart reiterated that the decision to retain Philippe Clement as manager was not a financially driven decision, rather it was recognition there was so much else to fix in the football department.”
Given these comments were made before the defeat to Queen’s Park, it is unclear if this remains Stewart’s position.
The Rangers Fan Advisory Board have also reiterated that they’ve contacted the club to highlight the feeling of frustration amongst supporters after the defeat to Queen’s Park.
Rangers CEO faces massive early decision at Ibrox
The meeting notes also claim that Patrick Stewart took aim at how the money flowing into Rangers had been spent in recent seasons.
The Rangers CEO has commissioned an independent investigation into how the club is being run and this remains ongoing as Rangers look to stop the rot.
The club’s record of only three major trophies out of the last 43 is a stain on Ibrox history and Stewart is now responsible for steering the ship back on course.
The biggest early decision of the ex-Manchester United executive’s tenure will involve the future of the Rangers manager.
But whether Rangers are backing Philippe Clement or not, the last few days have served to only anger fans with a lack of communication triggering supporters.
