Philippe Clement: Rangers boss confident he has board backing as pressure mounts ahead of League Cup semi-final | Football News
Philippe Clement is confident he will retain the backing of the Rangers board amid growing pressure at Ibrox.
The Belgian signed a contract extension in August that tied him to the club until the summer of 2028, but his future is subject to increasing speculation after Rangers’ 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen left them nine points behind Celtic and Aberdeen in the Scottish Premiership title race.
The plight of Clement, who joined the club in October 2023, adds to the sense of turmoil as Rangers operate without a permanent chairman, chief executive and director of football while revealing they made a net loss of £17.2m last season.
Kris Boyd discusses the issues facing Rangers after their 2-1 loss to high-flying Aberdeen
Ahead of the League Cup semi-final against Motherwell at Hampden Park on Sunday, where the winners will face either Celtic or Aberdeen in the final, Clement was asked how confident he is that people above him in the club will
have faith in him even if results do not turn around instantly.
He said: “I’m very confident about that, because that was also the really clear message [from the board] to step in, a story for longer term.
“They knew everything about the [financial] numbers, about what was necessary, and I don’t want to repeat all these things. I think I have said it enough about what consequences it can have (Rangers entering administration in 2012).
“And it’s about small margins, like last season, taking those margins and making it better, better again.
“Last season, we turned it around in a really short period in that way.
“I’m convinced that can happen now also. But, of course, I wish we took the victory in Aberdeen, that would have been the big step forward.
Watch highlights from the Scottish Premiership match between Aberdeen and Rangers
“We didn’t manage to do that. But I saw a team that tried until the last second of the game, and we had in the last minute, also the header with Tav (James Tavernier) just past the post.
“So it’s not that the team don’t want or they give up, or anything like that.
“So we’re going to continue fighting to get results our way and to make things better, and for sure, more consistent, to get more football like we saw against Malmo, against FCSB, more regularly.”
Clement’s message to the doubting fans was to stick with him as he tries to get the Govan outfit back on track.
He said: “I’m going to work really hard on that. I’m going to do the same as I did last season, and the same as I’m doing now.
“And I do a little bit more in the club than that moment because there are also a lot of other things to do.
“But, for sure, I’m very confident about that. I feel also how the team works, how they were in the meeting today also.
“It’s not a team that doesn’t take responsibility. They took responsibility in things, the staff took responsibility, I take responsibility, and we all go forward to make things better.”
