PHILIPPE CLEMENT has limped along for months as Rangers manager.
But Thursday night at Dens Park was the point of no return.
Kris Boyd can only see it go one way for Philippe Clement[/caption]
Clement is on the brink of sack[/caption]
Boyd has demanded immediate action from the Rangers board[/caption]
It’s done. Over. The Belgian’s Ibrox reign has to come to an end.
Rangers are BROKEN as a team. Everybody can see it.
That was the word I used on Sky Sports after the 1-1 draw against Dundee.
It still stands and the fear for the fans is that the situation is only going to get worse under Clement.
Believe me. It is.
Rangers’ away record this season is unacceptable.
Taking just 13 points from a possible 33 on the road will never be good enough.
To still have a negative goal difference from those away games is astonishing. Rock bottom St Johnstone have scored just one less.
But go further back to final five away games last season and it’s only 18 points from 48.
Clement’s Rangers have now dropped 30 points in their last 16 Premiership away fixtures.
It can’t continue. The Rangers fans have had enough and have turned on their manager.
That takes a lot. Those supporters pay fortunes to follow the team all over Europe and they will always back them to the hilt.
But they aren’t daft. They can see when something isn’t working and that is the case with Clement.
It’s ironic that Thursday night has been symbolic with European glory nights for Rangers in recent years.
Because what was served up at Dundee is arguably as poor as we have seen all season.
As always, Clement came out with the same old excuses after yet another dismal away performance.
The fans aren’t interested. They are fed up of listening to his post-match ramblings.
Two weeks ago, after Celtic drew at Tannadice, Rangers hoped to go into the Old Firm game with the chance of cutting the gap at the top to six points.
Now, having obliterated their rivals and won that game, Celtic’s lead is somehow 15 points.
That is unforgivable and the fans, quite rightly, are calling for change.
I wrote in this column weeks ago that it was over for Clement.
I was called a cynic in the aftermath of Rangers’ Old Firm win when I said nobody should get carried away.
People were telling me to stop being negative about Clement and his team.
Sorry, but I was only telling the truth. I am not in the least bit surprised about what has happened since.
There is clear evidence that Clement is not the manager to take Rangers forward.
The Dundee display reinforced that. Where were the patterns of play, the tactics, the gameplan?
Rangers don’t make things happen. They HOPE something will happen.
Sure, they can rise to the challenge when they are the underdogs.
Nice away in Europe? Tottenham and Celtic at Ibrox? No problem.
Yes, they will win most home Premiership games and will no doubt put a few past St Johnstone tomorrow.
But a Rangers manager will always be judged on grinding out wins on the road to sustain a title bid.
The frightening thing is that Clement’s side struggles against every single team away from home.
Parkhead, Pittodrie and Tynecastle will always be difficult venues in the Premiership.
But the others, like Motherwell, St Mirren, Hibs and Dundee, should almost be gimmes if a Rangers team is doing its job properly.
That’s not being disrespectful. It’s just what history tells you.
After the Dens draw, Clement spoke about being “creative” with his subs after bringing on two internationals in Rabbi Matondo and Ross McCausland.
That was against a Dundee team who, incidentally, had TEN players missing.
Clement is done but you can trace Rangers’ current problems back years.
After Steven Gerrard won ‘55’, he felt he wasn’t backed enough and moved on.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst performed miracles to reach the Europa League final and, in hindsight, should have been given more time domestically.
But certain members of the Rangers board listened to Michael Beale’s spin and that was a major mistake.
He signed players previous managers had turned down and proceeded to make a mess of the job.
Clement came next and after a bright start, it’s been downhill since the title bid collapsed last March.
Over and above that, there have been warning signs within other areas of the club that all was not well.
Good people, many who have Rangers’ best interests at heart, were little option but to leave after the heart was ripped put out of the club by certain individuals.
Clement and his players were booed off the pitch at Dens Park[/caption]
People who put plans in place and then ran for the hills at the first opportunity.
What happens next with Clement is down to Patrick Stewart and the Rangers board.
The Ibrox chief executive is due to address the media tomorrow and will have tough questions to answer.
The only thing I would say to Stewart is ‘Good luck’ because all eyes are on him now.
The Rangers fans have had enough and they want answers from the club hierarchy.
The crowds could start to dwindle, season-ticket renewals aren’t far away and Stewart must be honest with the support.
Clement says the board members are “200 per cent” behind him. Others say Rangers can’t keep sacking managers.
Well, you can – until you find the right one.
These problems under Clement are not going away. Battering St Johnstone doesn’t change that.
Some people at the club might accept mediocrity but the fans won’t.
They want change and kicking the can down the road only delays the inevitable.
It’s done. The Rangers support want a fresh start and it’s up to the board to take action.
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