Rangers’ historic Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park has sparked widespread criticism from fans, analysts, and club legends alike.
The Gers’ 1-0 setback at Ibrox, their first home defeat to lower-league opponents in club history, proved to be a watershed moment for Philippe Clement, who is now on the verge of being fired by Rangers.
Clement stays in charge for the time being, despite the fact that his team is effectively out of contention for every domestic competition this season, with a 13-point deficit to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Losing on penalties to their Old Firm rivals in the League Cup final was tough to take in itself, but a history-making home defeat to a mid-table Championship team has left the future looking incredibly gloomy at Ibrox.
Ally McCoist reacts to latest Rangers catastrophe
Speaking on talkSPORT (12 February, 7:09am), McCoist was forced to respond as Adrian Durham made a veiled dig at Rangers in reaction to the Gers legend’s outburst about a cancelled hotel reservation.
McCoist remarked, “You couldn’t make it up; someone had cancelled my room, and I was utterly distraught. There was virtually an international scene; how I remained calm was astonishing.”
Durham commented, “It’s been a bad week for Rangers.”
“Oh, it’s been a terrible week for the Rangers,” McCoist replied.
This comes after two days of jibes targeted at McCoist, who has not been on air since the Queen’s Park fiasco.
Rangers must respond fast to the dreadful Queen’s Park outcome.
Clement’s side has plummeted to new depths after losing to Queen’s Park, becoming the first Rangers squad to suffer such a defeat – something they did not even achieve while playing in the lower levels.
As a result, it’s not surprising that fans and pundits are clamoring for Clement’s dismissal, as well as significant boardroom changes, but with newly appointed executives still getting to know their new roles, this is unlikely.
McCoist has previously been reticent to claim that the axe should be swung Clement’s way during the off-field turbulence at Ibrox, with Rangers facing severe financial issues that make the decision difficult.
However, it’s difficult to see how Clement can recover from such a setback, as despite his team’s great European accomplishments, domestic success is the benchmark for a Rangers manager.
Winning the Europa League, or at least reaching the semi-finals, could be the only way for the Belgian to keep his job in the long run.
However, with the Bears in serious financial circumstances, he appears to be safe in his position for the foreseeable future.
