Philippe Clement’s post-match interview after defeat to Celtic on Sunday has been almost universally criticised by fans and pundits alike.
Rangers slumped to an embarrassing 3-0 defeat against the Hoops at Celtic Park as the victors proved how wide the gap really is at the moment between the two arch-rivals.
Gers started the game well and the signs were initially promising. But immediately after Kyogo’s ‘goal’ was chalked off with 11 minutes on the clock, Rangers collapsed into their shell.
From thereon in, it was an utterly dominant Celtic performance. But manager Clement’s bizarre post-game comments seemed to suggest the contest was closer than people thought.
The Belgian said his team could have been 2-0 up very early on had they taken their chances and pointed out that the match stats at the end of the game were very similar between the two sides.
The likes of Kris Boyd and Chris Sutton slaughtered Clement for the summation and now, former Rangers striker Gordon Dalziel has voiced his own strong opinions.
Gordon Dalziel slams Rangers boss Clement
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast, Dalziel admits Clement ‘drives him insane’ and delivered an expletive-ridden blast towards the Rangers manager.
Referencing Clement’s post-match Old Firm comments, Dalziel said: “It drives me insane. Look, I know that as a Rangers manager you can’t come out and say ‘look, hands up they battered us’ – I totally understand that.
“But you can come out and address it in a different way and say ‘look, we have to do the dirty part of the game better, (Rabbi) Matondo chasing, we have to do bits and pieces better, we were a wee bit slack in possession.’
“You can dress it up like that. But for me, don’t come out and start f***ing going on about stats because everybody can see it and every Rangers fan can see it as well.
“See for me, Michael Beale tried it with the Rangers supporters with the story of the three bears. I’m a great believer of if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a f***ing pig. It’s as simple as that. So come out and address it the right way.”
Clement’s main task at Rangers outlined
Rangers are in a mess and fans point to a whole plethora of problems on and off the pitch that need addressed.
But Dalziel went on and laid out exactly what Clement’s priority is as manager. And that is to develop the young players he has signed and turn them into profits for the club.
The pundit said: “Look, I think Clement’s got one of the hardest jobs ever. He came in at the start and done brilliant, closed that gap (on Celtic) and got in front.
“He’s now had a couple of transfer windows. For me, his job now is – see the young players he’s got – he’s got to develop them now. That’s the only way forward for Rangers.
“He’s got to develop them into good players and get money for them. That’s the way forward.”
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