
Rangers are trying to find a brand new supervisor after sacking Philippe Clement – however the place did all of it go unsuitable for the Belgian?
The 50-year-old took cost at Ibrox in October 2023, with the Gers seven factors behind Celtic within the Scottish Premiership.
Quick ahead a number of months and Clement’s aspect had amassed an unbeaten run of 16 matches adopted by one other stint lasting 14 video games, shifting Rangers degree on factors with their rivals having performed one sport fewer. These unbeaten runs additionally noticed the membership win the League Cup for the primary time in over a decade and progress to the Europa League final 16.
Nonetheless, that marketing campaign finally resulted in disappointment because the workforce missed out on the top-flight title and, with Rangers failing to mount a severe Premiership problem this time round whereas struggling cup humiliation, Clement has been dismissed.
He’s the fifth shortest-serving supervisor in Rangers’ 152-year historical past – so what had been the defining moments of his time in Glasgow?
December 17, 2023 – Rangers win the League Cup with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Hampden
James Tavernier scored the one objective of the sport as Rangers claimed their first League Cup win since 2011, with the workforce greeted by hundreds of jubilant supporters again at Ibrox. After the sport Clement stated it was his job to maintain everybody’s ft on the bottom however insisted his workforce was “rising”.
December 30, 2023 – Clement loses his first sport to Celtic
The Belgian’s unbeaten file as Rangers boss was delivered to an finish when his 10-player aspect misplaced 2-1 to their Outdated Agency rivals at Parkhead. Clement questioned the officers in defeat but in addition lamented poor ending – it will not be the final time he would achieve this.
March 2, 2024 – Motherwell win at Ibrox for first time since 1997
What felt like a vital midweek win at Kilmarnock was undone within the very subsequent fixture with a shock defeat at dwelling to Motherwell – the Steelmen’s first at Ibrox in practically 30 years. Celtic handed up the possibility to capitalise the next day with defeat at Hearts however this was arguably the place the wheels began coming off for Clement.
April 14, 2024 – Ross County beat Rangers for first time
Clement’s aspect dropped 4 factors behind Celtic with a pitiful second-half exhibiting in opposition to Ross County in Dingwall at hand the initiative to their Outdated Agency rivals. Rangers adopted this up with a goalless draw at Dundee the next midweek as their title aspirations imploded.
Might 25, 2024 – Final-gasp Celtic winner seals Scottish Cup
In what was turning into an all-too-familiar story for Clement, Celtic once more ran out winners in opposition to Rangers, this time with a Ninetieth-minute winner from Adam Idah. In reality, Rangers had been a lot better and felt aggrieved to have Abdallah Sima’s objective dominated out by VAR but it surely was one other winless Outdated Agency encounter for Clement.
August 13, 2024 – Rangers knocked out of Champions League qualifying
Rangers went into their Champions League third-round qualifying second leg in opposition to Dynamo Kyiv already at a drawback as rebuilding works at Ibrox pressured a transfer to Hampden. It was not the venue however some questionable officiating that finally put paid to Rangers’ Champions League hopes, nevertheless, as Jefte was harshly red-carded earlier than the guests scored twice to finish a 3-1 combination win.
September 1 – Celtic hammer Rangers to put down title marker
A summer time of turmoil on and off the park was delivered to a head within the east finish of Glasgow as Celtic brushed Rangers apart once more. Clement had been tasked with slashing the wage invoice over the summer time and the squad downsizing was on full show right here as Celtic made mild work of the Belgian’s workforce.
It was Clement’s fifth failed try to beat Celtic.
Sky Sports activities’ Kris Boyd was scathing of his previous aspect after the match, claiming no Rangers gamers would get into the Celtic workforce: “It is about time individuals realise this is not going anyplace quick. That was embarrassing from Rangers.”
October 30, 2024 – Rangers fall 9 factors behind Aberdeen
Rangers followers had unfurled banners protesting the operating of the membership in opposition to Kilmarnock and St Mirren and a 2-1 loss to Aberdeen served to incense them additional. One other defensive calamity and lack of competent ending value Clement’s aspect as Aberdeen moved 9 factors away from Rangers earlier than Halloween.
Clement’s post-match feedback the place he claimed: “I believe that is certainly one of our higher performances till now, this season, with the brand new squad,” did nothing to placate Boyd, who stated it was time for the Belgian to go.
“He must go now. Aberdeen are the whole lot Rangers aren’t. There is no such thing as a approach this could proceed at Rangers and any individual must get a grip of it. From prime to backside proper now, Rangers are leaderless. I do not care what anyone says, they’re leaderless.”
November 23, 2024 – Rangers booed off after Dundee United struggles
Rangers weren’t simply booed off the pitch as they turned in an insipid efficiency in opposition to Dundee United – jeers had been audible all through the match as followers vented their frustration. It wasn’t simply the factors dropped that drew the followers’ ire – however the method of the show.
Clement’s aspect had been constantly handing over pitiful showings with little or no leading edge, mixed with shaky defensive moments. United boss Jim Goodwin even had a pre-match plan to “create some nervous stress” and use the Rangers followers to their benefit at Ibrox, highlighting simply how indifferent supporters had turn into from the squad.
This 1-1 draw stored Rangers third and additional intensified strain on the Belgian supervisor.
December 26, 2024 – Rangers return to normality in St Mirren loss
An upturn in performances since that Dundee United debacle at Ibrox a month beforehand had seen Rangers put an honest run of outcomes collectively. Clement felt exhausting achieved by in a League Cup ultimate defeat to Celtic and stated his workforce ought to have crushed Tottenham within the Europa League.
However that upturn wasn’t to final lengthy. A snug win over Dundee earlier than Christmas was adopted up by one other sluggish efficiency at St Mirren. Clement made modifications to his beginning line-up and was pressured into substitutions at half time once more in a bid to attempt to rescue the sport together with his aspect 1-0 down.
They thought that they had a minimum of earned some extent earlier than Caolan Boyd-Munce snatched victory in stoppage time for the hosts, halting any type of momentum heading into the brand new 12 months.
December 29, 2024 – Issues go from unhealthy to worse at Fir Park
A defeat to St Mirren on Boxing Day was unhealthy sufficient however to observe that up with something aside from a powerful efficiency and cozy win over Motherwell three days later can be fully unacceptable for Rangers.
An surprising beginning line-up yielded anticipated outcomes with Motherwell 2-0 forward at half-time in opposition to a much-changed Rangers, because the guests turned in one other shambolic 45-minute show to rival the primary half in Paisley three days earlier.
A double from Hamza Igamane rescued a draw for Rangers however left them trailing Celtic by 14 factors going into the New Yr Outdated Agency conflict, with Clement struggling to clarify the return to trite performances and outcomes that had pushed him to the brink as soon as once more.
February 9, 2024 – Ibrox shocked at Queen’s Park humiliation
January had been a comparatively profitable month for Clement after beginning the brand new 12 months with a dominant 3-0 victory over Celtic – the Belgian’s first (and, finally, solely) Outdated Agency win. Attracts at Hibernian and Dundee had been par for the course in a season which has been derailed by the aspect’s away kind however Rangers did safe a top-eight end within the Europa League group levels, which appeared to quickly mood home frustrations.
Nonetheless, any credit score Clement might have had within the financial institution was fully worn out when Championship aspect Queen’s Park dumped Rangers out of the Scottish Cup the next month in one of many competitors’s biggest-ever upsets. James Tavernier missed a 97th-minute penalty to seal Rangers’ destiny in a 1-0 defeat, which left the house crowd calling as soon as once more for the supervisor to go.
Requested if he would think about his place after the match, Clement was defiant: “No, completely not. No, I do not count on this (talks with board) as a result of you possibly can put one other supervisor on this sport – wouldn’t it be completely different in that sense? So what was yesterday? Development was made, prime eight in Europe and extra consistency within the league and all these items, they do not change in 90 minutes. I perceive that the followers are in feelings now. I do know numerous followers had been on my aspect three hours in the past. I do know that.”
February 22, 2024 – Clement accepts the board have a call to make after St Mirren loss
Clement was provided a keep of execution by CEO Patrick Stewart 10 days after that Queen’s Park humiliation, the place he re-iterated his perception that Rangers’ troubles lately weren’t down to 1 supervisor and that sacking the 50-year-old would merely be repeating “errors of the previous”.
Issues modified with one other defeat at Ibrox, nevertheless, when St Mirren brushed an insipid Rangers apart to file their first win in Govan since 1991 and back-to-back victories over the Gers for the primary time since 1979/80.
Clement had spent the day prior to this insisting that he was not frightened about his function with the information that American buyers had been in talks with Rangers over a multi-million-pound takeover of the membership.
Nonetheless, he regarded visibly downbeat after the 2-0 defeat and any trace of defiance in his post-match interviews had seemingly evaporated: “These are issues the board must resolve. I imagine I can get outcomes with these gamers. However I’m additionally very disenchanted with what we confirmed at this time – and I’m liable for that. It was by far the worst efficiency from my time right here.”