Philippe Clement’s position at Rangers is in serious doubt following the club’s defeat to St Mirren on Saturday, but Steven Gerrard stepping in to replace him is far from a guarantee.
As Philippe Clement faces increasing pressure, Steven Gerrard is being linked with a sensational return to Rangers.
The Liverpool icon, who guided the Gers to their first Scottish Premiership title in ten years in 2021, is out of work after leaving Al-Ettifaq in January. It remains to be seen whether an Ibrox homecoming is on the cards, but Gerrard has detailed what would need to alter if the appointment were to take place.
Speaking in 2022, five months after leaving Rangers for Aston Villa, the ex-England captain stated that he sought more financial support from the club’s board, especially after the club’s title victory. “After we won it, maybe, you know, I wanted a bit more, like come on, let’s really go for it,” he stated on The Overlap. “I believe everyone faced different obstacles, including Covid concerns. So I completely understood, but I’m the type of person who says, “Let’s go again once you’ve accomplished something.”
“We tried but never qualified for the Champions League… We had some troubles with some players at the time, and it took a while to secure a few targets that we wanted; we had to make some concessions.”
Gerrard still regrets the manner he left Rangers, despite his reasons, saying: “In a perfect world, I would never have left that way, and I completely understand the frustrations that the club and supporters felt when I left.”
“When the opportunity arrived to manage a club of Villa’s prominence in the Premier League, the option to be closer to my family was critical in my decision-making. There were also members of my coaching staff who were keen to compete in the Premier League.
Gerrard’s comments suggest that if he were to return, he’d need assurances over how significantly he’d be backed in the transfer market – something that could be very different this time around if he comes back with 49ers Enterprises in takeover talks. Spending at the club has, however, increased in his absence anyway, with just under £30 million spent on new players in the past two years – more than double the £12.5 million spent in Gerrard’s final two seasons at Ibrox.
However, easing the financial purse strings hasn’t produced the intended results, with the Rangers on the cusp of going four years without a league championship. They are 13 points behind table-toppers Celtic, who have won 10 of the previous 15 Old Firm derbies and show no signs of slowing down, despite a shocking loss to Hibernian on Saturday.
Clement’s team failed to capitalise, losing to St Mirren later in the day, allowing the gap to widen. This, combined with their shock Scottish Cup loss to Queen’s Park earlier this month, has put the Belgian on the verge of losing his job, with fans even launching a’sack Philippe Clement’ GoFundMe campaign.
After the game, Gers veteran Kris Boyd claimed that Clement was draining the energy out of both his players and the supporters, and insisted that his time at the club was over. “The players must accept responsibility for their on-field performances, but they appear to lack confidence, ideas, and a game plan. “The manager just appears to be an energy zapper,” he explained.
“The excitement has gone from the stands and from the players on the field. Even when you see the personnel at games, there is no sense of ‘I’m at Rangers Football Club and I’m glad to be here.’ It’s like they’re going through the motions. That stems from the desire for a leader, someone at the top.
“It’s reached its lowest point. We’re used to Philippe Clement making excuses; he seemed beaten yesterday. “It’s time.”
Meanwhile, Gerrard isn’t the only one being associated with the Rangers job; Sean Dyche and Russell Martin, among others, have also been named as potential successors.
Rangers’ upper management may also undergo changes, with a takeover on the horizon. Record Sport exclusively revealed on Wednesday that 49ers Enterprises, an affiliate of the renowned San Francisco 49ers NFL team, is part of a syndicate in advanced talks over a multi-million pound investment in the Ibrox giants.
