Philippe Clement could be forgiven for hiding in a West End bunker given the fire and flak that’s flying in his direction right now.
The Rangers boss has had high-pressure jobs before in Belgium. But nothing will compare to this. Clement is under the cosh. Not only are his side light years behind Glasgow rivals Celtic. They’re now also trailing arch enemies Aberdeen by nine points at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Clement will have heard some – if not all – of the criticism. In this city, it would be impossible not to. But at his Auchenhowie press conference on Friday, the 50-year-old came out fighting.
If only his players showed a bit of that on the pitch, they might not find themselves in this predicament. Clement is not about to buckle under the strain, irrespective of how apoplectic with rage some Rangers fans are. For the most part, he tries to ignore the snipers. But he admits that even his wife at home would prefer him to start winning a few more games.
Ahead of Sunday’s crucial Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Motherwell, he vowed to take the weight of expectation at Rangers on his shoulders. But Clement also admitted that he openly leans on the people closest to him – to add some perspective.
Ahead of his must-win visit to Hampden, the Rangers gaffer said: “How do I deal with the criticism and scrutiny? Listen, it’s part of my life and part of football. It’s difficult as a manager when you cannot explain everything (to supporters). It’s not good – but it’s part of my life now.
“In the short-term, I believe we can turn things around here and that it can be a successful season. I really believe that. But I never switch off from it. That’s never the case.
“Never in my life have I switched off. I don’t like to do that too much. My wife knows that too. Of course, she likes it more when we win games and everybody’s happy that I’m a really good manager. That’s normal. But no, I don’t want to switch off. I always speak to people, with friends who are in football or in this job.
“It might also be with colleagues, with my staff, with my family. I try to do that every moment. It’s important not to stay in the tunnel. I want a really open vision about everything.”
Without saying it publicly, Clement has hinted that he could have walked from Ibrox in the summer. Before he agreed to signing a new contract, the goalposts at Rangers had moved. The job spec he’d been given last October was changed, with the Ibrox board revealing drastic cuts had to be made.
At that moment, Clement knew in his heart that to get to where he wanted the club to go – there would be an element of pain first. And that’s what Rangers fans are feeling right now. But Clement is convinced they’re on the right path.
He said: “The chance of pain was much bigger than a smooth ride from the start. Much, much bigger. But I tried for the smooth ride. I’ve worked to get it as fast as possible with the players, with them knowing the story and trying to make it successful from the start.
“You can never predict how it will go. But you need time to build things, like every manager does. This club didn’t want to make the same mistakes it made in the past and only look short-term. There was only one possibility. To look long-term in everything you do.
“And to make choices in the transfer window to make the club sustainable – and create profit for the future. Otherwise? The club would be in difficulty. So the first step has been made now.
“There have been some steps made in the performances. It’s not that we’ve lost all of our games or that every game has been terrible. But we need to make things better in the next few weeks and months to reach our goals, which are to compete for everything.”
After the dejection of Wednesday night’s dismal defeat to Aberdeen, Clement somehow has to lift his players for Hampden on Sunday as they look to defend the only domestic trophy they hold. Serious discussions have taken place inside Auchenhowie in the wake of Pittodrie.
Clement must see a reaction from his players against Motherwell and reach a final. But to do it, they’ll need to show far more desire – and ability – than what’s been on display too often this season.
The manager said: “The players were really down after Wednesday night. But we had a long meeting on Friday about our principles. That’s what disappointed me about Aberdeen’s first goal – we didn’t follow our basic principles and it opened up everything. Those are harsh lessons but we’ll take that into the rest of the season.
“The players have taken a lot of responsibility. They’re hungry to be better. They want to feel what they felt in our good games this season. And of course, to get results for the fans because it’s what they deserve. They’re hungry for that and that’s why my confidence is there. We need to get our standards really high again. And on Sunday we’re going to give a better performance.
“It’s not just about fighting. It’s not only that you need to win a game. You also need to do good things with the ball.”