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In the latest round of football news, Rangers Football Club has confirmed that manager Philippe Clement has been sacked after 16 months in charge. The action follows a run of disappointing results, including the 2-0 defeat at home to St Mirren on February 23, which leaves the team 13 points off league leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Clement, who took over managerial duties in October 2023, initially brought optimism to Ibrox. Shortly after his appointment, he led Rangers to the League Cup triumph and propelled the team into the Europa League’s last 16. Although these early successes, the team’s form became erratic, particularly on the road, which derailed their title aspirations. That recent defeat against St Mirren was Rangers’ first domestic home loss to them since 1991 and fueled criticism of Clement’s leadership.
In a formal release, the club expressed thanks to Clement for his efforts: “Rangers Football Club can confirm that it has tonight parted company with men’s first-team manager, Philippe Clement. The club would like to place on record their sincere thanks to Philippe for his hard work and dedication during his time in charge.”
The managerial shake-up is a direct result for Super Eagles pair Cyriel Dessers and Leon Balogun, both mainstay Rangers players. Dessers had begun the year in fine fettle following his initial relegation to the sidelines, but recent performances have been far from satisfactory as he went four successive games without scoring, an achievement which only served to heighten the disappointment for the Rangers fan base.
Seasoned defender Balogun has talked about the inconsistency in the team. In his candid analysis some days back, he stated that the season had been “too inconsistent” and urged wholesale changes to try to close the gap to Celtic.
The club is in the process of securing a replacement for Clement. Among those rumored for the job is the former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, who led the team to the Scottish Premiership title in the 2020/21 season. Gerrard’s return is, however, awaited with some complications from his recent experience in Saudi Arabia that could delay any recruitment until April.
Veteran Rangers centre-back Russell Martin, out of a managerial role since quitting Southampton, is another contender. Martin is reported to be on serious consideration by influential figures within the Rangers boardroom.
