Philippe Clement was defiant as Rangers’ season wound to an unfortunate end last campaign.
The Belgian manager had overseen an initial Ibrox resurgence after taking over in October before this under-achieving Gers squad resorted to type in the final furlong.
With the title genuinely within the club’s grasp, Rangers failed to deal with mounting injury problems, Dundee’s dodgy pitch and the challenge of rolling their sleeves up and grinding out results.
A mental block against eventual champions Celtic certainly didn’t help.
But a new season brings with it fresh optimism and as Clement talked up ‘quite a rebuild’ in the summer Rangers fans had tentatively begun to believe effective change was coming.
Only the latest soundbites coming out of the Belgian won’t inspire confidence that it’s going to be any time soon.
Frustrated Clement builds Rangers nerves
Speaking after the midweek friendly clash with Standard Liege, Philippe Clement pulled the brakes on Rangers’ summer transfer activity.
Once again referencing the exits of five experienced Rangers first-teamers at the end of their contracts, the Belgian was also keen on tempering the expectations around his youthful additions.
Hamza Igamane and Clinton Nsiala are not expected to be starters.
It’s the last thing Rangers fans – already nervous from a perceived lack of transfer activity, a list of wantaway or underperforming players, and the chaos surrounding the rebuild of the Copland Stand – needed to hear.
Now, a spiky Philippe Clement has only added to the nerves of the Rangers fans in his latest transfer address to supporters.
Speaking after the 2-1 friendly defeat to Ajax at the end of the club’s pre-season training camp in the Netherlands, Clement didn’t exactly lift the mood.
Claiming that sales will have to be made before Rangers can make any new additions, the Belgian has also suggested that he had the Ibrox wool pulled over his eyes before taking the job.
This sentiment of frustration is the last thing that Rangers fans – who feel increasingly disconnected to a club and squad in disarray – wanted to hear.
Rangers manager had ‘other expectations’
When asked about having to make sales before adding new players, Clement gave an honest response.
“That’s the reality,” said the Rangers manager via the Daily Record. “That’s the reality that the board told me a few months ago.
“I know this, the recruitment team knows this also. This is the reality of the club. I had other expectations when I came in in October, I have to say. But I know the reality now. I am very motivated to build the club and help in that.”
Eek.
With Cyriel Dessers heading a list of seven potential Rangers exits, the season feel likes it is coming far too quickly for the club and now it appears that everyone knows it.
In yet more soundbites which don’t exactly inspire confidence, Clement has claimed that he will not walk away from what is now a ‘massive’ rebuild.
It is – as Clement to his credit has consistently stressed – about rebuilding for the future and not the short-term.
But we’re not sure how much that will placate expectant supporters.
These are not exactly the words of a man who is happy with the lay of the land at a club and with a squad that has been badly mismanaged since winning 55 in 2021.
“It’s focusing not only on the short term but also on the long term,” said Clement. “If I only looked at the short term I would only bring in experienced players who can do the job directly.
“Mistakes like that have been made too much in the past and at the end you don’t reach your goals. You need a different philosophy and that’s what we are all working towards.
“This is a massive rebuilding job, it is true.
“Maybe some people would run away from that but, having been seven months in Glasgow, in this city, in the stadium, in the club, I have to say this club already took a big part of my heart in that way.
“I am really confident that we can work in stability the next months, the next years, that we can make a lot of things better in the club.
“We have been busy with that also. We have been changing staff in the medical department, in the performance department.
“It is all over the club that everybody is working really hard to make things better. At the end, it will benefit the cause of growing as a club.”
Given the situation, it’s little wonder apathetic Rangers fans are bracing for yet another season of disappointment.
