Rangers board let down Philippe Clement on transfer deadline day and they should be grateful he’s still there

Rangers board let down Philippe Clement on transfer deadline day and they should be grateful he’s still there

Philippe Clement might just be out there on his own now as a Rangers manager.

Unmatched, even by the club’s greatest gaffers including Walter Smith, Graeme Souness and Steven Gerrard. No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you – you read that right. It’s quite possible the Belgian is now a unique Ibrox boss, different to all the rest. Not because of trophies won or honours achieved. Not because of European success or memorable victories. Instead, Clement probably now stands alone as the only manager in Rangers’ history to be told to work with what he’s got.Just play the kids if you have to.” That’s the message that’s been made abundantly clear from the top of the marble staircase. And by the way, given the financial problems this club has encountered in recent years, maybe that’s the RIGHT road to go down.  Let’s be honest, it’s what should have happened in 2012 when Rangers went bust and had to fight their way back up the leagues. If they’d adopted this approach then, Rangers as a whole might be in a far better place now.

Instead, they dished out £6k a week contracts to Kevin Kyle. So perhaps they’ve finally seen sense. Or it’s that gross mismanagement and poor recruitment since winning their last title in 2021 have left them in a mess.

 

Whatever it is, Clement’s the guy who’s picking up the slack. So if it goes badly wrong and doesn’t yield trophies in the next two seasons? Or if some of the Auchenhowie babes simply aren’t good enough to cut it at Rangers? Don’t blame Clement.He’s been justifiably criticised here at times this term for poor decisions or ill-advised comments that haven’t helped him. Whether he likes it or not, the whole sports science farce which resulted in Vaclav Cerny not playing against Dynamo Kiev – or Kieran Dowell getting the nod at Fir Park not so long ago – have cost them. Deep down, Clement will know that now.

 

But when he spoke last week about what he needed before the January transfer window shut – it was a plea for help. He didn’t want the board to splash out fortunes on transfer fees or wages. Clement was telling them that to win the Scottish Cup and potentially progress to the quarter-finals or beyond in the Europa League – he needed at least an extra body in the building.

 

With Dowell and Rabbi Matondo finally off the wage bill for the time being, it shouldn’t have been too big an ask. But he was let down on deadline day. This Rangers team badly needs two things right now. A strong, powerful, box-to-box midfielder to take some weight off the shoulders of Nico Raskin and Mo Diomande.

 

And a player with pace, either in a wide area or up front. Clement’s squad is devoid of genuine speed, someone who can offer them something different – particularly away from home in the Scottish Premiership or in Europe. But all he got was young defender Rafa Fernandes on loan and Lyall Cameron on a Bosman for June.

And again, if the Ibrox hierarchy felt there was no value for money out there, who are we to argue? After all, that’s been the strategy from the summer when they shifted the goalposts on their manager. He accepted the change of conditions, which was admirable.