'Extremely Difficult' - Journo claims Tav won't recover as Clement 'Taken Aback' by Rangers fury

Philippe Clement has been “taken aback” by the anger he is facing at Rangers and is now “feeling the pressure” for the first time, according to Andy Devlin.

The Scottish Sun journalist said on the outlet’s Go Ballistic show on 13 September, after speaking to the Belgian at his pre-match press conference earlier in the day, that he looked surprised by the recent reaction.

Clement drew pressure on himself after the 3-0 hammering at Celtic prior to the international break by pointing to the 6-0 win over Ross County the week before, with captain James Tavernier also targeted after the Old Firm derby and Devlin suggested it is now “extremely difficult” for the captain to recover from that.

Devlin said of Clement: “Looking at him I think he was taken aback by it. There’s an element of the club that he understands and he gets. Latterly though there’s been some comments that haven’t made sense… on the back of the Celtic defeat talking about Ross County, that sort of thing does not help the manager, he has got to avoid things like that…

“He’ll be taken aback by the level of anger towards him and his players… I feel sorry for him, what he was told was the reality in October is far from the reality now in terms of finances and everything that’s been made available… I would say for the first time he will be feeling the pressure.”

On Tavernier he added: “He had to leave in the summer, James Tavernier… he’s probably outstayed his welcome… It’s going to be extremely difficult for James Tavernier to recover from this.”

Rangers in disarray ahead of Dundee United clash

Losing so badly against your biggest rivals ahead of a two-week break from the fixture list where the effects of it are allowed to stew will always make the situation worse.

A couple of wins and the chaos should die down a bit, but there hasn’t been much so far this term to inspire much confidence in that yet.

Clement seemed to have all the answers when he took over from Michael Beale last season, or at least seemed like he knew what they would be if he had the right support.

But that image has subsided along with his team’s fortunes and the Ross County comments after the derby did him no favours.

His judgment has also increasingly been called into question with line-ups, with decisions such as starting Tavernier in every game, and a refusal to contemplate Ianis Hagi despite being short of options, causing consternation.

The captain has been well short of his best and would surely benefit from some rotation, even if he is far from the only issue in the side at present.

He has taken huge amounts of criticism, which often he hasn’t deserved, in recent seasons so whether he bounces back will largely depend on whether he can pick up his form and start delivering his usual goals and assists.

The 32-year-old has turned down an exit to Turkey [HITC, 12 September] but there are doubts whether this is a campaign too far in Glasgow and his levels may have dropped for good.

When it comes to Hagi it now appears Clement is not entirely responsible for the decision following his latest comments, after the Romanian’s agents steadfastly refused an exit [Digi Sport, 12 September].

That may be another mitigating factor in the manager’s defence but either way he is badly in need of some results and some performances.

In other Rangers news, a BBC pundit has been banned after a controversial on-air outburst about the Light Blues.

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