Philippe Clement remains confident he will retain backing of Rangers board
Pressure has been mounting on the Belgian throughout October
Last updated 1st Nov 2024
Philippe Clement is confident that he will retain the backing of the Rangers board amid growing pressure.
The Belgian boss signed a new contract extension in August that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2028 but his future is subject to increasing speculation following the 2-1 defeat by Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Wednesday night which left the Light Blues nine points behind William Hill Premiership leaders Celtic and the Dons.
The plight of Clement, who joined the Gers in October, 2023, adds to the sense of turmoil around Ibrox with the club operating without a permanent chairman, chief executive and director of football while on Tuesday it was revealed they made a net loss of £17.2million last season.
Ahead of the Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Motherwell at Hampden Park on Sunday, where the winners will face either Celtic or Aberdeen in the final, Clement was asked how confident he was that people above him in the club will have faith in him even if results do not turn around instantly.
He said: "I'm very confident about that, because that was also the really clear message (from board) to step in, a story for longer term.
"They knew everything about the (financial) numbers, about what was necessary, and I don't want to repeat all these things. I think I have said it enough about what consequences it can have (Rangers entering administration in 2012).
"And it's about small margins, like last season, taking those margins and making it better, better again.
"Last season, we turned it around in a really short period in that way.
"I'm convinced that can happen now also. But of course, I wish we took the victory in Aberdeen, that would have been the big step forward.
"We didn't manage to do that. But I saw a team that tried until the last second of the game, and we had in the last minute, also the header with Tav (James Tavernier) just past the post.
"So it's not that the team don't want or they give up, or anything like that.
"So we're going to continue fighting to get results our way and to make things better, and for sure, more consistent, to get more football like we saw against Malmo, against FCSB, more regularly."
Clement's message to the doubting fans was to stick with him as he tries to get the Govan outfit back on track.
He said: " I'm going work really hard on that. I'm going do the same as I did last season, and the same as I'm doing now.
"And I do a little bit more in the club than that moment because there are also a lot of other things to do.
"But for sure, I'm very confident about that. I feel also how the team works, how they were in the meeting today also.
"It's not a team that doesn't take responsibility. They took responsibility in things, the staff took responsibility, I take responsibility, and we all go forward to make things better."
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