The Rangers manager made the comment while being presented at Ibrox, and the words ring truer today than they did then.
In fairness, he did warn Rangers fans from the beginning.
In fact, Philippe Clement went to great measures to make it apparent that he would be unable to get Rangers out of their current dilemma as the perennial runner-up in a two-horse competition.
“I am not Harry Potter.” “I do not have a magic stick.” That’s what Clement said when he was revealed as Michael Beale’s replacement. Here’s a fresh flash for the Big Belgian, as if he didn’t know already.
He’d better start rummaging around the attic for that misplaced wand because it doesn’t seem like even a magic touch will suffice. He’s more likely to require a miracle if he doesn’t want to become the latest casualty of this never-ending fight with his neighbours across town.
Never mind being Harry Potter, or any other type of Potter for that matter. Clement is already in need of snookers with less than half of the season remaining. In retrospect – and perhaps some did feel this way at the time – Clement’s initial reference to a fictional child wizard figure was an indication he wasn’t quite clear what he was going to get himself into.
This is not Hogwarts. It’s Glasgow. Warts and all. And, only recently, to make things even more difficult than they have been since the turn of the century, Celtic are spending ten quidditch for every fiver Rangers can scrounge for their manager to spend on transfers.
Which is why it would take a cold, dark heart not to feel some pity for Clement, even if his own erratic decision-making has played a significant role in his current predicament. clinging to his stance despite the overwhelming weight of public criticism.
Of course, at least he is still battling. You have to give it to the man for that. There may be an element of stubbornness to his refusal to bend, and some Rangers fans see his resolve to give up as another rod to hit him with. Be it a magical one or not.
In truth, after witnessing him drop a total of 20 top flight points on the road this season, their tolerance with the manager has already worn thin, and they are unlikely to change their stance now. However, there will be another group of club followers who are prepared to stick around in the belief that Clement can still deliver.
And another win in the Europa League on Thursday night might see their numbers increase. Clement will certainly point to this ongoing campaign as a sign that he is still capable of moving Rangers forward, even during this rather chaotic time of transition.
Three final points banked tonight at home to his countrymen Union Saint-Gilloise would leave Rangers sitting on a total of 14 points from their six games in the competition. And that would constitute a highly commendable return given the treacherous looking nature of the fixture list they were dealt before it had begun, including away trips to Olympiakos, Nice and Manchester United and an Ibrox visit from Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs.
Along the way, Clement has stumbled onto something that resembles a fairly functioning attacking unit. The likes of Hamza Igamane and Jefte have made such an impression as recent arrivals that, according to reports, they are catching the eye of clubs south of the border and beyond.
Igamane most certainly looks like a striker destined for bigger things in better leagues and it’s already a question of how long Rangers might be able to hold on to this young Moroccan before they are made an offer they cannot possibly refuse.
Clement has also reintegrated Ianis Hagi into his first team fold and his team has reaped all manner of benefits from the Romanian’s return. And yet Hagi’s initial period of cold shouldering also leaves a black mark against the manager’s judgment along with his public assertion that the 26-year-old simply wasn’t talented enough to hold down a creative role in his team. And that he never would be.
There’s been a fair few of these managerial missteps made along the way. Clement didn’t seem to rate Nico Raskin for a long time too before finally conceding the Rangers midfield functions a great deal more effectively when his compatriot is operating at its heart and pulling on its strings.
Then there was the curious case of Todd Cantwell who packed it all in for Blackburn rather than spend another campaign attempting to play his way into the manager’s good books. Who knows, had Cantwell not allowed his ego to get the better of him then perhaps he too would be back in Clement’s starting XI right now and using his undoubted creativity to improve it considerably?
Clement also refused to budge or back down for what felt like an eternity at a time when Cyriel Dessers was so obviously struggling to shoulder the weight of spearheading the manager’s attack. It took the manager a matter of months before he eventually decided Igamane was worth a throw of the dice but, by the time he did, Rangers were already facing up to another season without a fully firing title challenge.
All of these decisions have played a contributory part in the malaise which continues to hang over Glasgow’s south side. But, every now and then, Clement has stumbled upon a chink of light. The stunning away win in Nice. The swashbuckling nature of his team’s performance in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham which followed soon after.
The way his squad dominated Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup Final before losing on penalties. The 3-0 victory over Celtic at Ibrox on January 2 finally removed a dangerous derby day monkey off the manager’s back, although for the seventh time.
