Clement sack decision emerges at Rangers as 'Major Issues' realised - report

Rangers will not sack Philippe Clement this year even if the club makes a bad start to the season, according to Jonny McFarlane.

The journalist wrote in his column for The Herald on 27 July that the Belgian will not go the same way as his two predecessors, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale, as there is an acceptance that the two previous managerial changes have caused “major issues” at Ibrox.

Clement is “highly regarded” among the Gers hierarchy so the only way he is likely to leave the club this term is if he does so of his “own volition”.

The manager is seen as needing more than this summer’s transfer window to properly rebuild the Light Blues side in his own image.

Philippe Clement safe from sack at Rangers

The cycle of hiring and firing since Steven Gerrard left for Aston Villa have left the club in a near-permanent state of instability so it is probably the right move to commit to the current boss.

That is a lot easier said than done though. If the season starts poorly and the Gers are out of Europe and a long way behind Celtic early in the Scottish Premiership there will undoubtedly be calls for Clement to go.

With a week to go before the season starts away to Hearts and barely half of the necessary transfer business completed it would be little surprise if the campaign didn’t immediately go to plan.

A turgid preseason and the inability to play at Ibrox for at least the opening weeks all point to potential difficulties for Clement.

He won’t be able to escape criticism himself but unless everything falls apart spectacularly it is hard to see how scrapping the latest rebuild and starting yet again midseason would help.

The Belgian has been tipped to walk out of the current frustrations amid rumours linking him to his country’s national team job [Daily Record, 22 July] so if the Ibrox hierarchy have made up their mind they will have to hope he doesn’t change his.

In other Rangers news, the Light Blues are in a “real bad place” at the moment as another senior man leaves.

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