'Clement's demise' - Graham Spiers claims inevitable Rangers sack delayed by 'Incompetent' Ibrox board

Philippe Clement’s exit from Rangers is now likely “assured” but failings of the Ibrox board will keep him in place for now, says Graham Spiers.

The journalist reacted via X on 30 October after the Light Blues were beaten 2-1 at Aberdeen to fall nine points behind the Dons and Celtic, praising Pittodrie boss Jimmy Thelin for the turnaround he has inspired at the club.

But he believes the loss has made Clement’s sacking by Rangers as good as inevitable, although it won’t happen yet thanks to mismanagement above him at Ibrox.

Spiers wrote: “Aberdeen FC has a messiah in Jimmy Thelin. Pittodrie week in, week out is rocking and it is magnificent to behold.

“Meanwhile, Philippe Clement’s demise in Glasgow seems assured. He will prevail longer but only due to an incompetent Rangers board.”

Rangers nine adrift of Aberdeen and Celtic after loss

From the outside looking in Spiers’ assessment of the situation at Ibrox looks pretty accurate as the product on the pitch continues to take steps backwards.

But the Light Blues made a decision in the summer to stick with Clement even if this season turned sour [The Herald, 27 July], and made it official when they extended his contract on the eve of the opener against Hearts.

They may not have anticipated things looking this bleak this fast, nor would they have expected to be the third-best team in the country as a resurgent Dons side flew past them, but there was logic to putting a stop to the damaging cycle of hiring and firing.

The fact that Clement has had to try to overhaul a squad at the same time as lowering the wage bill, whilst operating under a revolving door of executives coming and going, functions as mitigation to an extent and has drawn some defence from the likes of Michael Stewart [Premier Sports, 21 October].

But there comes a point where the signals are too alarming and they might be forced to pull the plug anyway, and where that point lands has already become the key question at Ibrox.

For many supporters that point was weeks ago, potentially after the 3-0 loss at Celtic on 1 September made it zero wins from five Old Firms for the Belgian.

If the board wasn’t squabbling amongst itself as Dave King fires broadsides from South Africa, and John Gilligan didn’t already have his hands full looking to replace himself, and a CEO who upped sticks and left last season, then the point of no return for Clement might have been reached by those making the decisions as well, but for now he clings on.

In other Rangers news, there have been major new Ibrox investment talks with a US billionaire.

For more Rangers news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

The post 'Clement's demise' - Graham Spiers claims inevitable Rangers sack delayed by 'Incompetent' Ibrox board appeared first on Ibrox News.