Philippe Clement (2023 to 2025)
Chairman John Bennett unveiled Phillipe Clement as the 19th permanent Manager of Rangers on 15th October 2023, describing the Belgian as “the outstanding candidate across all the key criteria”. Previously head coach with Club Bruges and Monaco (where he had been sacked in the summer after 18 months in charge), Rangers stated that “he arrives at Ibrox with a wealth of experience as a player and coach, as well as a track record of winning league titles”.
The sacking of Michael Beale at the start of October had seen former midfielder Steven Davis take interim charge, assisted by former players Alex Rae and Steven Smith and existing coaches Brian Gilmour and Colin Stewart. A poor performance and result in Limassol was followed by victory in Paisley before Davis stepped aside and Clement took charge of his first match on 21st October 2023.
The recruitment process had seen Rangers reportedly interview a number of candidates including ex Ger Kevin Muscat and former Chelsea and England midfielder, Frank Lampard. With the Board, perhaps, finally acknowledging that they alone did not have the required football experience to oversee another managerial appointment, Graeme Souness was invited to be part of the interview panel. However, Souness would publicly state that his ultimate recommendation was Lampard whilst agreeing that Clement had interviewed well and was also a worthy and credible choice.
Just as Beale had done some 10 months previously, Clement began his reign with a win over Hibernian at Ibrox. The Belgian would start with five successive league victories before dropping points at Pittodrie, an injury time Tavernier penalty maintaining his unbeaten league run. Inheriting a 7 point deficit on his arrival, that now stood at 8 albeit Rangers had played one game less than the leaders.
Having guided Rangers to the final of the League Cup with a 3-1 win over Hearts at Hampden, Clement had the chance to secure silverware a little more than two months into the job. Significantly, in order to do so, he was not going to have to mastermind victory over Celtic who had been eliminated by Kilmarnock in an earlier round. It represented a great opportunity with Aberdeen contesting the final on 17th December 2023. Once again, it was Tavernier who was on the scoresheet for the Gers who lifted the League Cup for the first time since 2011, a record 28th time overall.
Momentum was gathering and Rangers produced an impressive performance in Spain, beating Real Betis 3-2 to win Group C and qualify for the round of 16, thus ensuring European football well into the new year.
It was a really encouraging start for Clement who, by now, seemed to have established a fresh connection between team and supporters. A 2-1 defeat at Parkhead in the final match of 2023 saw Clement taste defeat for the first time and, inevitably, questions were again asked about the mentality of the players in these crucial Old Firm matches. The gap was back to 8 points but with Rangers now having two games in hand. Clement disputed any notion that his players lacked ‘bottle’ and they reacted to that defeat in the perfect manner with 9 straight league victories, whilst also progressing to the QF of the Scottish Cup. With results remaining favourable, there was little by way of dissent in terms of the quality of football being served up. However, as time would pass, there was greater scrutiny over the style of play. A growing feeling existed that Clement seemed inflexible and largely predictable. Whilst his preferred set up often seemed to suit European competition, domestic games (particularly at Ibrox) were not often pleasing on the eye. Of course, he was very much still having to work with a squad of players that were not necessarily of his choice and it was hoped that the quality of football would improve as his own team evolved.
The winter transfer window had allowed Clement to bring in his first signings. Fabio Silva, Mohamed Diomande and Oscar Cortes, all arrived on initial loan deals with the latter two contracted to make their stay permanent further down the line. Beale’s summer flops, Sam Lammers and Jose Cifuentes, went out on loan whilst the unfortunate Steven Davis was forced to call time on a wonderful career due to injury. Injuries had been a huge talking point throughout the season, Clement appearing to take aim at the methods of Beale and his backroom staff for the ongoing predicament and seemingly never-ending list of absentees. Adamant that he would rectify in time for the following season, the exact nature of why these injuries were occurring remained somewhat of a mystery.
Despite this, and as Rangers entered the month of March, Clement had seen his side go two points clear of Celtic at the top of the table, both sides having 10 games remaining. Incredibly, with the league campaign having been all but written off the previous September, Rangers were now potentially 12 games from securing the Treble. With Celtic failing to capitalise on a Rangers defeat to Motherwell 24 hours earlier, for once it felt like Celtic were also feeling some pressure. Clement’s Rangers had reacted to their only previous defeat by taking 27 points from 27. If they could repeat that feat then the title would be returning to Ibrox.
Alas, the run in was somewhat of a disaster. A win over Hibernian was followed up by a draw against Celtic at Ibrox. Rangers conceded a bizarre opener almost from kick off and trailed 0-2 at half time. A spirited comeback ensued and when Sima equalised with 4 minutes remaining it seemed like there would be only one winner. However, Rangers immediately switched off once again as Celtic made it 2-3 before Matondo salvaged a point deep into injury time. Clement’s side had undoubtedly shown character but Celtic now found themselves back on top and Rangers were unable to recover. Defeat in Dingwall (the first time Ross County had ever defeated Rangers) was followed by an abject goalless draw at Dens Park just 3 days later, Rangers now trailing by 3 points with 5 games remaining. Clement's side almost certainly had to go to Parkhead and win but soon found themselves trailing 2-0 when midfielder John Lundstram put through his own net. Worse was to follow when the midfielder was red carded on the stroke of half time after Dessers had seemingly given Rangers a lifeline. With 2 games remaining, Celtic had a 6-point advantage and superior goal difference. There was not going to be any change of helicopter direction on this occasion as Rangers headed to the Capital on the final day of the league campaign.
That perceived inability to win crucial games was once again labelled at the players and, of course, now Clement. Defeat to Benfica (despite a promising draw in Lisbon), followed by the capitulation at Dingwall and Dundee had meant that that Old Firm Scottish Cup Final on 25th May 2024 was absolutely massive for the Belgian manager. Having failed to beat Celtic in his three previous encounters, this was a chance to end the season on a high and lay down a marker leading into what would be his first full season in charge. Logically, the two domestic cups would have been the realistic target on his appointment and there remained the opportunity to achieve that at Hampden. Although Rangers were by no means dominant on the day, with the match heading for extra time it was unquestionably Clement's side who looked like the more likely when keeper Butland inexplicably failed to hold a shot, thus allowing Idah a simple injury time winner. Any defeat to Celtic or in a Cup Final is extremely hard to take, but this was unquestionably an extra sore one.
Whilst many were eager to see what Clement could do with a summer transfer window (and pre-season) behind him, the woeful ending to the season had now placed him under pressure. In what resembled a ‘fire sale’ at Ibrox, experienced players such as Lundstram, Barisic, Roofe, Goldson and Jack were allowed to leave for little (or no fee) to reduce the wage bill. Beale signings Lammers, Cifuentes and Cantwell were 'shipped out' whilst under achievers Davies and Wright headed to League One in England. Whilst change was again needed, the lack of incoming signings was a huge concern.
Unlike Beale, Clement could undoubtedly point towards a lack of financial backing in player recruitment during his time at Ibrox. In fact, it did seem like the goal posts had been moved from his arrival to that first summer transfer window. It can only be assumed that the financial position of the Club was significantly worse than previously anticipated. In truth, the bulk of his budget had been used during that initial winter window as Rangers now needed to make permanent a move for Diomande. Not dissimilar to Beale’s own experience, Clement soon found himself becoming the sole spokesperson at the Club following the departures of Chief Executive James Bisgrove and later, Chairman John Bennett. It was far from ideal.
In addition to a severe lack of funds required to reshape his squad, Clement entered the 2024/25 season with the farcical situation of Rangers having to play home games at Hampden whilst the summer works at Ibrox encountered numerous delays. Apathy had set in amongst the fanbase and a subdued crowd of 39,180 saw Rangers eliminated from the Champions League (having earned a draw in Poland with a Dynamo Kyiv side also forced to play in a neutral venue but for very different reasons). It is hard to believe that a 50,000 capacity Ibrox crowd (in a far more positive frame of mind) would not have demanded a very different home performance and result from that second leg in Glasgow.
As was the case on the opening day of the previous league campaign, Rangers dropped points immediately but this time a goalless draw at Tynecastle did not seem quite as shambolic. However, the injury situation showed absolutely no signs of slowing down despite Clement's bold predictions. Two league victories at Hampden saw Rangers head to Parkhead but the same frailties returned. If Clement felt he had at least narrowed the gap over Celtic in his first 8 months in charge, he was back to square one with this 0-3 thumping. Results were inconsistent, successive away defeats to Kilmarnock and Pittodrie and dropped points to Dundee United at Ibrox meant Rangers were not only 11 points behind Celtic, but also 8 behind second place Aberdeen. Talk of a rebuild might have been valid in terms of competing with Celtic, but Clement had more than enough at his disposal to be beating the rest.
On a positive note, the Europa League campaign had started well with victories in Malmo and Nice and credible draws with Olympiacos and Spurs in the revamped league structure. It was a constant conundrum under Clement, how could the team perform well time and time again when facing established European opponents and yet toil so badly in domestic matches against, without meaning to be disrespectful, lesser teams?
Rangers headed to Hampden on 15th December 2024 where they would face Celtic in their attempts to retain the League Cup. It was a vastly improved Gers performance from the previous clash at Parkhead, Rangers taking the lead through Bajrami just before half time. However, two quick fire goals saw Celtic go in front after an hour. When Kuhn put Celtic ahead again with three minutes remaining (following a Diomande equaliser) it looked all over only for Danilo to force extra time. With no further goals in the next thirty minutes, a Yilmaz miss eventually handed Celtic the trophy. There was controversy when Rangers were incorrectly denied a penalty long before the shoot-out, all of which made it even more unfortunate for Clement. Not for the first time, the Belgian could point towards dubious refereeing and VAR decisions. However, history would simply show that in over a year in charge he had failed to get the better of his greatest rivals.
Whilst that particular stat would change in the New Year clash at Ibrox, it felt like too little too late. A 3-0 win over Celtic is always an enjoyable occasion but, despite the win, Rangers were still 11 points behind. It was once again back to Celtic losing a game that they could undoubtedly afford to.
If Clement thought that the Old Firm win might at least give him a reprieve for the remainder of a season of transition, he was wrong. Just over a month later, Rangers crashed out of the Scottish Cup to Championship side Queen’s Park at Ibrox. Even the award of a 97th minute penalty could not spare the blushes, Tavernier seeing his spot kick saved and Rangers were eliminated at home by a lower league side for the first time in the history of the competition. It was a humiliation, “a source of shame for the Club” and surely there was no way Clement could survive? For the second time in his short spell as CEO, Patrick Stewart (belatedly) issued a statement affording Clement the vote of confidence. Having previously been clear that there were no guarantees for Clement, and that results had to be forthcoming, it was hard to understand just how bad a result his side would need to suffer to be relieved of his duties!
Why Rangers waited more than a week to comment in the aftermath of the Cup defeat was questioned, Stewart eventually stating that the Club did have the funds to sack Clement (and his backroom staff) if required. The Europa League run seemed to be the main factor in keeping with the status quo. Stewart adding “We have been underperforming as a club for several seasons now, and that’s not down to a manager,” we’ve changed the manager, and it’s not made a difference”.
Withing days of Stewart finally breaking his silence, Rangers lost 0-2 to St. Mirren at Ibrox and Clement was sacked. It was hard to make sense of it all but for the fourth successive season Rangers would end the season with a different manager to the one who started it. That probably says as much about the decision making of the Board as anything else.
by Rick Plews
