Simon Mignolet has urged Rangers supporters to keep faith in gaffer Philippe Clement.
The Belgian keeper was signed by the Ibrox boss for Club Brugge in 2019 – and enjoyed three years of success under him. Clement is now feeling the heat domestically, with his Rangers side currently trailing Celtic and Aberdeen. But in Europe his team have excelled, with Thursday night’s 4-1 victory over French outfit Nice a case in point.
And former Liverpool goalie Mignolet is adamant he’ll get it right in Govan. The 36-year-old, who played against Celtic for Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, said: “There isn’t a more hard-working person than Philippe and I’m sure, given the chance, he’ll do well for Rangers. I’d stick with him. This guy knows what he’s doing.
“He has shown in the past how good he is. Of course, there will be times when results are not going your way. I know Glasgow Rangers are a big club and if results aren’t good there will be pressure. But if there’s one guy who has got confidence in Philippe then it’s me. He was unbelievable for myself and for Club Brugge.We had a great time with him and we’re still in touch. Philippe was the manager who brought me back to the club and we won a lot of titles with him. So I can only speak really highly of him.”
Clement has been fighting to save his job in recent weeks with Rangers 14 points behind Celtic after yesterday’s 5-0 home win over Ross County.
Gers face St Johnstone at lunchtime today aiming to get back on the winning trail after last weekend’s dismal home draw against Dundee United. New Ibrox CEO Patrick Stewart starts on December 16, a day after the Premier Sports Cup Final with Celtic. If Rangers lose the derby at Hampden, Clement’s position will be under even more scrutiny.
But Mignolet believes his old boss responds well to adversity. He said: “We had tough times at Brugge. We’re no different from Rangers. As a big team we always had to win and sometimes when it doesn’t happen you need to come through these moments and become stronger. Philippe has proven before he can do this. He’ll be really resilient, he’ll fight back and get those results, 100 per cent.
“He knows the pressure of losing – but also knows the way out of it. I don’t think Philippe will be busy worrying about what people are saying about him.”
Meanwhile, Clement hopes his side’s stunning win over Nice has given fans a bit of hope. Speaking ahead of facing Saints, he told Rangers TV: “The team are starting to gel and understand everything better. For some players it has been two, three or four months together. It’s still a short time so it’s good already to be at this level in Europe. Ten points is a bright start and this will give a lot of hope to all our fans about the future of the club.”