Philippe Clement had been on borrowed time as Rangers manager with the Ibrox club heading into months of seismic change as takeover talk continues to engulf the narrative around Govan.
Saturday’s latest sobering 2-0 loss at home to St Mirren was the latest reminder that furious fans wanted the Belgian gone, as was the case 13 days ago following their worst-ever Scottish Cup defeat at the hands of Queen’s Park. And reports on Sunday night confirmed Clement had been SACKED.
‘Sack Philippe Clement’ GoFundMe page launched
Fed up Rangers supporters launched an ambitious fundraiser calling for manager Philippe Clement to be relieved of his duties on Saturday – but the appeal ended up well short of their £1.2million target amid claims that is the figure that Ibrox chiefs would need to fork out to pull the trigger.
The Belgian boss was still under contract for another three-and-a-half years after penning an extension earlier in the season, but fans started a desperate campaign to end Clement’s turbulent spell in charge of the club after he was left clinging onto his job following the 2-0 Premiership defeat to St Mirren on Saturday.
Many punters were at breaking point after a GoFundMe page was created and titled ‘Sack Philippe Clement’ in an attempt to raise enough money that could help pay-off the beleaguered former Monaco and Club Brugge boss. It reads: “Help raise enough funds to sack Rangers manager Philippe Clement! After the 1-0 Loss to Queen’s Park and now the 2-0 defeat to St. Mirren, Rangers fans call for Clement to get the boot.”
The page raised just £10 from two donations – £1,199,990 short of the figure required, but fans have finally got their wish.
Clement ‘a broken man’
Philippe Clement looked “a broken man” after Saturday’s latest Premiership defeat at St Mirren, according to Rangers hero Neil McCann who admitted on BBC Sportscene it’s was only a matter of time before the club’s hierarchy decide enough was enough.
“I’m really not sure he survives this one,” McCann said. “He looked a broken man at the end of that. He looked really down. As a manager, you’ve got to empower your team. You’ve got to emanate a confidence that you can change things. He’s got to show the fans he can change games.
“Sometimes you’ve got to change in-play as well. Sometimes changing personnel, but not how you’re playing does not give you a better outcome. There’s lots there contributing to Philippe coming under pressure, and i think he’ll come under pressure massively.”