Philippe Clement might’ve been unprepared for the scale of the problems at Rangers when he arrived at Ibrox.
But the Belgian manager is convinced the worst is now behind the club and that everyone at Rangers is pulling in the right direction.
Amid a tumultuous summer of downsizing, the rebuilding of a youthful squad, the chaotic Hampden relocation and the disruptive executive upheaval, Rangers have hardly provided the optimum conditions for a manager to flourish.
But try telling that to the Ibrox support.
Fed up supporters staged an Ibrox walkout in the win over St Johnstone with plenty of pressure on the head of Philippe Clement.
But the Rangers manager remains convinced that the way forward is now ‘clear’ at Ibrox and that the likes of Hamza Igamane prove it.
‘Way forward is now clear at Rangers Football Club’
Philippe Clement might be tempted to bolt for the Ibrox exit door as the pressure continues to mount on the Belgian’s broad shoulders at Rangers.
But the 50-year-old ex-Club Brugge manager is made of strong stuff and has thick enough skin to survive the barrage of criticism which has met him on the daily at Rangers.
Despite the frustrations of Ibrox supporters, Clement insists that his feelings haven’t changed and that Rangers can now build forward with a degree of clarity.
The Rangers manager has urged patience as a new executive team get their feet under the desk and the ‘fruit’ of Rangers’ labour already shows signs of blossoming.
”I don’t have a different feeling with three months ago, six months ago, nine months ago,” said Clement ahead of the visit of Aberdeen.
”I don’t have a different feeling around that.
”Because I know, I am very sure with continuing what this club has been doing that with less budget in the past, you can do really good things.
”And you see already the first fruits coming out of that. The story with Hamza, the story with Jefte, the story with Clinton Nsiala, and we have different stories also.
”Working on that longer term will get this club to the level.
”Also you saw it the way this team can play in the Old Firm, or in the European games, or in some league games, but it’s about creating this consistency that it’s every three days.
”That you have also more players ready to do that every time.
“That you create more depth in the squad, that you have less injuries, because that didn’t help also the last couple of weeks with getting so many defenders out.
”It is about creating all of that together and then all the pieces of the puzzle they fit together and then you get the results.
”But the way forward is very clear.”
Philippe Clement might wholeheartedly agree in the project Rangers are trying to build, but that doesn’t mean the Belgian won’t own up to his mistakes on the road to glory.
Clement speaks candidly about his own shortcomings and learning on the job at Rangers, insisting that human beings will always come up short in some capacity.
But the Rangers manager’s experience in football tells him that the current trajectory the Ibrox side are on will bear fruit in the years to come.
The Rangers manager claims that whilst decision-making might not always be perfect, the summer’s rebuild proves Rangers have wily enough operators in the building to punch above their current weight-class.
”I doubt for sure about decisions that I made and that I made mistakes, for sure,” said Clement.
”That’s part of this job. Also there’s nobody only doing the right things.
”But I don’t doubt about the story we’re doing.
”I know. I know working longer term on this that you get success. I know from the past.
”I know out of the experience of 30 years, I know out of the experience of being a manager.
”I know, and I see also, with the decisions that are made in the summer that a lot of good decisions are made with the financial situation that we had at that moment.
”So we need to continue in that way and we don’t have much room for error but that makes the challenge only bigger.“
Hamza Igamane will leave Rangers at ‘right moment’
It’s clear that Philippe Clement believes in the potential of this young Rangers squad and relishes the challenge of developing talented footballers.
It is on the Rangers manager and his staff to correctly steer the club’s best young talent towards the first-team, on to glory and then to the next level.
Rangers need to provide a platform for young talents to both win big at the club and then earn dream moves with big price-tags to the top leagues in Europe.
Whilst Rangers have a number of young talents in their team, Hamza Igamane has become the poster boy of the club’s player trading ambitions.
Igamane has now scored 12 goals since a summer move from FAR Rabat in Morocco with Hamza attracting Premier League glances as a result.
Philippe Clement admits that Rangers will look to cash in on Hamza Igamane but only at the ‘right moment’ for everyone.
”That needs to be a win-win situation for everybody,” said Clement.
”For the club, for the player.
”A positive point for that is that Hamza is mature in his head. We have a good relationship with him.
”From the first day that he came in he made really big steps but you can talk with him about things.
”We try like with every player to prepare them for the next step, that they don’t fall in certain traps, what you have with young guys who come in the first time at this stage coming out of a different culture and he took all of these steps.
”I think he will take the next steps also.
”And there will be one moment, the right moment probably, for him to leave.
”But it needs to also be the right moment for the club and he will understand that also.“
It’s not just on the pitch, in developing young players or in winning football matches that Philippe Clement is focused at Rangers.
The Rangers manager insists that he’s got his eye on every department that concerns the sportive side of Rangers Football Club.
Working in tandem with technical director Nils Koppen and CEO Patrick Stewart to build a youthful Rangers in the vision of its new leadership, Clement claims his attention is on how the Gers can improve from the very moment he wakes up every morning.
“I’m here to talk about the sportive side again,” said Clement.
”I’m not happy with the away record, totally not. I’m focused on that to make it better.
”So I am only, only busy with that and together with Patrick and to Nils to discuss everything that can help to make our squad better.
”Is it with players? Is it with recruitment? Is it with staff around? Is it with infrastructure? All those things.
”That’s what I’m busy with every second that my eyes are open every day.”
