Kris Boyd admits Philippe Clement deserves credit for masterminding Rangers’ Europa League run – but insists the Premiership title will ALWAYS be the priority.
Boyd led calls for Clement to be axed over the festive period as Gers’ hopes of toppling Celtic crumbled with damaging results against St Mirren, Motherwell, Hibs and Dundee. Formidable at home, the Light Blues’ away form has been their Achilles heel this season, winning just four of their two games on the road allowing their Old Firm rivals to motor clear at the top of the league.
But their inconsistent domestic form is in stark contrast to the dazzling heights they’ve reached in Europe, defying the odds to secure a top-eight finish in the Europa League and bypassing the playoffs to book their place in the last 16.
Despite being one of Clement’s biggest critics, Boyd confessed the Belgian deserves the plaudits for making Rangers fans dare to dream of another fairytale run to Bilbao.
He told Sky Sports: “It’s a huge achievement. It’s not been the easiest of campaigns in the Europa League for Rangers but you’ve got to give Philippe Clement and his players a lot of credit because they’ve found a way to get through into the last 16 and you just never know. We’ve said it before, it’s about the luck of the draw and seeing where it takes you, but I do think it will be very difficult to replicate what Rangers did a few years ago.”
While Rangers Thursdays are set to roll on into March at least, Boyd accepts that Celtic are the benchmark in Scotland. The runaway leaders could soar 13 points clear of their rivals by winning their game in hand against Dundee tonight as they close in on a record-equalling 55th title.
And although the European adventure has lifted some pressure from Clement’s shoulders, Boyd is adamant it doesn’t make amends for another year in Celtic’s shadow. He said: “Does Europa League progression make up for this season? I mean, it might in other leagues. But the be-all and end-all in Scotland is winning the league, there’s no getting away from it.
“Celtic have done it for a period of time now. Rangers obviously stopped Celtic from winning the ten and delivering 55 a few years ago but since then, it’s been dominance again for Celtic domestically. Rangers need to find a way to get back. They’ve shown for a period of time that they can compete in one-off games, but it’s not good enough.
“You’ve got to compete over the course and distance of a season. You’ve got to get that consistency in your game and win games of football domestically.
“Yes, it’s great to have European runs and the money that comes with it. But Celtic have got into the knockout stages of the Champions League as well, which is a huge step for them, considering it’s been a number of years, and it’s more money for them. It’s more money that Celtic can go and spend and Rangers in Europe have done well.
“But Europe for me, is about getting the money in to then go and build and try and progress their teams. Celtic have done that, you feel as if Rangers are now having to scale back and then they might go again. But you can go round the houses all you want, the be-all and end-all in Scottish football is winning that league title at the end of the day.”