Philippe Clement just isn’t the type of person to dwell on disappointment.
When the Rangers boss suffers a body blow it’s not in his nature to stay down for too long. But on Scottish Cup weekend it’s difficult for the Belgian not to feel the pain of May 25 last year. The Old Firm final stood at 0-0 in injury time before Jack Butland’s error allowed Adam Idah to win the trophy for Celtic. It was agonising for Clement and his players, who had already squandered a Premiership lead to hand their rivals another title. Especially as Gers thought they had broken the deadlock earlier against Brendan Rodgers’ side with an Abdallah Sima strike that was controversially ruled out.
Clement isn’t bitter. But he admits that, as much as he has moved on to lead a new project at Ibrox this season, that last-gasp defeat still rankles. And it’s probably part of the reason why he’s so desperate to get his hands on the Scottish Cup this year. He’s preparing for a last-16 tie against Championship outfit Queen’s Park today but couldn’t help wondering what might have been nine months ago.
When asked how long it took to get over the loss, Clement said: “It’s still there because we didn’t win the trophy. How long did it stay? Look, it was a game where we were really close.
“We scored the opening goal and it was disallowed. We can still have a discussion about that. But when it’s finished you need to switch a button in your head.
“You have to look forward and be ready for a new season. As a staff or the players, we cannot live life as a fan. We can’t be sick about it for days and then stay sick about it.
“We can’t stay focused on it because then you’re not ready for the next assignment. Of course, it’s still in the back of your head and in your body. But you need to look ahead and go full for the next goal. That was the case in the summer.”
Immediately after the final, Clement gathered his players on the Hampden pitch and gave them a message to come back stronger. But he probably didn’t predict that seven of his 20-man squad would be moved on in the summer as the club made hefty cutbacks.
That quick change of direction only highlighted to Clement why it’s imperative not to live in the past. In the future he wants more stability at Ibrox as he hinted that Celtic’s squad consistency has been a big reason for their recent domestic dominance. Clement said: “I told the players to use that feeling (after the final) as fuel for this season.
“But a lot of the guys in the circle were away just a few weeks later. It’s difficult to use that as fuel when you’re working with a new group of players. And that’s what we need at this club, more consistency in the squad, so we can build something. You can’t start from new every time.
“I’ll make a comparison with a house. You start with foundations, like we had to do this season. But it’s not a good way to build a house if you do two storeys then wipe it and start from the foundation again.
“That’s really important. We need to create something now with players who experience these things together. You need these connections, the timings, the communication – verbal and non-verbal – to understand each other.
“Each individual player has to know what their job is and collectively we have to move forward together now. Of course, you need a core and stability. And you need consistency to build every season.
“Some clubs have done that really well and they get the benefits. It’s a major part of football.
“At every club where I was successful in the past, it was always when we had two or three years together as a group. Not with all 11 in the first-team but at least with seven or eight. That’s such a critical part that can’t be under- estimated.”
With Rangers trailing in the Premiership table, a Scottish Cup triumph this May could be vital for Clement and his young squad. They’re expected to see off Queen’s Park with relative ease today and make the quarter-finals.
But he won’t take Callum Davidson’s side lightly. Especially after being on the wrong end of a shock cup defeat to lower-league outfit Rodez in France two years ago with Monaco.
Clement – who won the Belgian cup four times as a player with Genk and Club Brugge – said: “What I remember about that is I put too many young guys in to give them a chance. And the senior guys didn’t perform as they should have or help the young ones.
“The other team were 100 per cent efficient and had the day of their lives. So the cup competitions are always dangerous, you need to balance things really well.
“Is it a warning to us against Queen’s Park? No, it happened only one time like that. I’ve had a lot of cup games in a different way with Monaco and with other teams. But it’s something that happens every season in every league.
“We are very ambitious for this game and we respect Queen’s Park. We will have the same preparation for them as we had against Manchester United or Tottenham in Europe.”