Will Rangers Sack Under-Fire Philippe Clement? Latest Update | OneFootball

When Philippe Clement first joined Rangers back in 2023, there was a sense of hope and optimism amongst supporters. Even the small number of doubters agreed that it was a major improvement on Michael Beale, who had spent 10 months in charge overseeing a terrible run of results and poor off-field recruitment.

With Clement, it wasn’t as if his CV was lackluster either. Quite the opposite. From 2019 to 2021, he won the Belgian Pro League three years in a row, starting with Genk and then twice with Club Brugge. Clement then had a short spell at Monaco before finally finding himself in Scotland with The Light Blues. And understandably, expectations were high.

After a mixed bag of a first season in charge, which saw players like Cyriel Dessers and Dujon Sterling hit great patches of form, the obvious next step was for Clement and his coaching staff to really hit the ground running in the 2024-25 season. However, this hasn’t come to fruition.

At their worst this season, Rangers have been one-dimensional and uninspiring. It’s been a genuine struggle for them to remain consistent in the league, allowing Celtic to once again build a healthy points bridge between them. And even though Rangers recently gave Celtic a 3-0 thumping at Ibrox, it was quickly followed up with a disappointing 3-3 draw against Hibernian. This has now led to another crisis for Rangers.

There’s a growing number of supporters who want Clement out, especially now that the January transfer window is open and there’s a small chance the season can be saved. The potential problem, though, is that Rangers cannot afford to sack Clement and his staff.

Ten consecutive years of net losses totalling almost £100m – with the most recent chunk being a £17.2m loss last season – have left Rangers in an awkward position. Clement also signed a contract extension before the start of the 2024-25 season — taking his existing deal all the way to 2028 — which makes life even more difficult for the board if they do eventually decide they want to part ways.

Will Rangers Sack Clement? The Board Are Holding Fire

It appears the board is not going to sack Philippe Clement. It’s the halfway point of the season, Rangers are still second in the league, and there’s Scottish Cup and Europa League football to contend with. Sacking him now would be premature, particularly with the current financial situation. Therefore, Rangers supporters can expect Clement to stay until at least the summer, giving him enough time to turn the poor run of form around and potentially go on a great run.

If Clement is to be fired before the end of the season, expert analyst Paul Ricci from bettingtools.com has taken a look at the current next Rangers manager odds to assess who his likely replacement would be:

Let’s not forget that Rangers have a huge rebuild on their hands. Not many managers would be willing to take on a rebuild of this magnitude, especially considering the financial situation of the club and the need for at least several new players to come in.

This is why the board will try to maintain confidence in Clement. After all, he was the man brought in to take control of the rebuild. And if he can potentially win the Scottish Cup and go far in the Europa League to give the rebuild some much-needed momentum, it would start to win back the supporters.

What Clement Must Do to Save the Season

There’s still a long way to go this season. The top priority for Clement should be nailing down a consistent starting eleven and style of play, which the Belgian has struggled with over the past few months. Then there’s the issue of having to turn around Rangers’ poor away form that has plagued Clement since his arrival at the club, having struggled to consistently pick up results away from Ibrox. Winning the Scottish Cup would also be great for the club and stop Celtic from grabbing another treble. Rangers have also looked good in the Europa League, so there’s no reason why Clement and Rangers can’t take them deep into the competition. And now that Celtic have a significant points advantage in the league, perhaps the best course of action for the rest of the season is to focus on the cup competitions instead.

Summary

Rangers are in a tough spot. The appointment of Philippe Clement has not led to an immediate turnaround for the club like many fans were hoping for. However, there have been glimpses of what Clement can offer, including the excellent 3-0 win over Celtic to kickstart 2025. If he can turn things around over the long-term and get Rangers competing for the Scottish League again, supporters will happily get behind him again. Until then, it’s going to be an uphill battle — but Clement could potentially turn it around.