Philippe Clement, Rangers badgeRangers manager Philippe Clement took over from Michael Beale in October 2024
Rangers can’t afford not to sack Philippe Clement as unheard of new development emerges
Philippe Clement is a dead man walking at Rangers since the level of fan disillusionment may mean they can’t afford not to sack him, says Stephen McGowan.
The Daily Mail journalist told PLZ Soccer’s The Journos on 31 October that although the cost of getting rid of the Belgian may appear prohibitive, especially in light of “car crash” financial figures released this week, it will end up being even more costly if fans turn away.
Citing the League Cup semi-final vs Motherwell on 3 November not being sold out as “almost unheard of” he suggested the Light Blues potentially can’t afford not to sack him, even though they don’t want to do so.
McGowan said (13m 20s): “You get such a level of fan disillusionment that where you say, ‘Can they afford to pay him off given these financial figures?’ which are a car crash. Possibly not.
“But then you have to balance up can you afford to not pay him off? Because the supporters are gone now. He’s a dead man walking…
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“The one thing it will do is get supporters off their back. I don’t think, for example, that all the Rangers tickets for the semi-final this Sunday are sold out, that’s almost unheard of for a semi-final at Hampden.
“So that shows you that apathy and anger is becoming a problem. It will become a financial problem as well, therefore can you afford to not pay him off? Maybe not.”
Rangers tickets not sold out for Motherwell at Hampden
John Gilligan and the board are stuck between a rock and hard place if the finances face taking regular hits from lack of ticket sales and other revenue from the fanbase.
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That is likely the biggest factor that will change the stance at Ibrox, which so far has clearly leant towards toughing out a rough season and implementing a process of change to end the cycle of hiring and firing.
Even now, following the 2-1 defeat at Pittodrie on 30 October which left Rangers nine points behind Aberdeen and Celtic, the “noises coming out of Ibrox” suggest an immediate change isn’t on the cards, according to Rangers Review on 31 October.
The difficulty in this situation is clearly that there is more than enough blame to go around at the club, and it would be unfair to pin everything on Clement.
Most fans were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt during the summer, even after the collapse at the end of last season, as he contended with budget restrictions and a need to cut the wage bill.
But despite a general feeling that the scale of the task at Ibrox has proven far larger than was sold to him a year ago, and the fact he’s stayed entirely committed all the same, it has become that much harder to conclude he is part of the solution this term.
And whether that is fair or not may be immaterial if supporters decide to vote with their feet and their wallets.
According to the Daily Record on 29 October “detailed” talks have been held with John Halstead over increasing the billionaire’s investment in the club, but funding that way is already unsustainable.
And if the regular flow of cash from supporters dries up as they lose patience in the football they are watching and Clement’s increasingly bemusing excuses afterwards the board’s hand may be forced.
In other Ranger news, a Gers favourite has been mooted as an emergency replacement for Clement at Ibrox.
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