Several high-ranking Rangers board members wanted Philippe Clement sacked after defeat to St Mirren on Boxing Day | OneFootball

Several high-ranking board members wanted Rangers manager Philippe Clement sacked after the Ibrox club lost in the Scottish Premiership to St Mirren on Boxing Day, according to the Scottish Sun.

However, there was no money available to fund his seven-figure pay-off and axe him, and the Light Blues reluctantly allowed the Belgian to continue.

The 2-1 loss suffered by Rangers at the SMISA Stadium was their fourth of the league campaign and their seventh across all competitions at the time, and while they have not lost in the league since then, they have drawn thrice and found themselves 13 points behind leaders Celtic after 25 games.

The Light Blues were dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Championship club Queen’s Park on Sunday, suffering their first defeat in 75 years at the hands of their Glasgow rivals.

It was also the first time since the 19th century in the Scottish Cup that the Spiders had defeated Rangers, and the fans staged protests outside Ibrox after the disappointing result.

The Bears faithful want him out, but the club need around £1.2 million in compensation fees to sack Clement as he still has three-and-a-half years left to run on his contract extension he signed in the summer.

The huge figure is one of the main reasons the 50-year-old is still in the Rangers dugout, and his 15-month reign could continue until the end of the season if they cannot get the money needed to pay him should he be sacked.

Despite being through to the last 16 of the Europa League, the Light Blues are expected to finish 2024-25 without silverware having lost the final of the Scottish League Cup and got dumped out of the Scottish Cup.

It will take money to sack Clement and hire another manager, and Rangers are currently not in the financial position to get that done anytime soon.