The Light Blues are in crisis mode in the wake of defeat to Queen’s Park that sent them crashing out of the Scottish Cup
Rangers chairman Fraser Thornton has dropped a major clue that Rangers could stick with Philippe Clement – after rejecting the club would do the “easy thing” and show the boss the door.
The Belgian manager is under immense pressure after taking the Light Blues to the brink of a trophyless season following their humbling Scottish Cup loss at the hands of Queen’s Park. It came when the club trailed Celtic by 13 points in the Premiership title race, and they had already lost the Premier Sports Cup to their rivals in a penalty shootout at Hampden. However, Thornton has previously endorsed the manager behind closed doors, appearing with CEO Patrick Stewart in one of the lounges at Ibrox Stadium during a match against Aberdeen last month.
He argues Rangers’ results have been terrible for more than a decade, rejecting the sacking culture in the leaked footage. He said: “Of course, we are all aware that the results have been far from satisfactory. It’s undeniable and widely understood. I have to say that home has been fine, but away has been terrible. To be honest, it would be simple to say, ‘Let’s change the management and move on’.
“But if you truly sit back and think about it, you’ll notice that the outcomes haven’t been fantastic season after season. It’s been 10 years. It’s not even been one or two years. It’s 10. We’ve had a decade of underperformance.
“To be clear, continuing with Philippe isn’t an attempt to evade a difficult decision. In reality, I believe that changing a manager would be the easiest decision, given the number of supporters demanding for it. I am aware of this; I have seen the statements.
Stewart also expressed support for the manager last month, admitting that there were no “cast iron” promises about his future and assuring that the Belgian’s future would not be driven by finances. He explained, “This is not a financial decision.
“To be clear, continuing with Philippe isn’t an attempt to evade a difficult decision. In reality, I believe that changing a manager would be the easiest decision, given the number of supporters demanding for it. I am aware of this; I have seen the statements.
“If the results do not improve, I cannot give Philippe any commitments. He and I have been around football long enough to know this is not the case. Equally, I’m not going to get into how many games Philippe needs to preserve his job; that’s not what we’re talking about.
“We’re here to assist Philippe figure out why there’s a discrepancy and then address it. And, to be clear, sticking with Philippe is not about avoiding a difficult decision.”
