Ibrox View: Clement seems to get Rangers excuse in early with cliché he's already used once

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has said that “Rome wasn’t built in one day” when asked about his side’s prospects next season in yet another clichéd excuse ahead of the new season.

The Gers boss has been speaking to Chris Jack from The Rangers Review, as shared via X (12 July), about the club’s prospects for 2024-25.

Clement said: “Rome was not built in one day. Rangers will not be rebuilt in one day also. I can say to all the fans that everyone is working day and night towards that.”

This would be something for the Light Blues’ supporters to cling on to if the Belgian hadn’t uttered the same phrase before.

After a 1-1 draw at Ibrox against Aris Limassol (30 November, 2023), the Rangers manager used the same cliche phrase [Rangers Review, 1 December 2023].

He said: “I explained a few things already, Rome is not built in one day. There is work to do.”

After a season where his side lost out to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup, this sentiment is rather hollow.

Philippe Clement makes Rangers rebuild excuse

The re-building process at Ibrox has been going on for over a decade, starting with the 2012 administration and relegation to the fourth tier.

Since then moments to get Rangers fans off their seats have been few and far between, with plenty of ups and downs.

Winning the league title in 2021 was a great moment but was dampened when Steven Gerrard left for mid-table Premier League side Aston Villa.

The Europa League campaign in 2022 was superb, with so many memorable nights that will be spoken about for years.

Considering Celtic have won the league every year, bar one, the Gers are always reminded how far they are behind their rivals.

Every summer feels like one of change and this year is no different. Clement is making hollow promises of change to reduce optimism – and in fairness it is not entirely his fault.

Many supporters see this as an opportunity to get an excuse in early before the season has even begun.

Although it appears that Clement is doing his best to work with what he’s got and make smart additions, the bigger picture at Ibrox isn’t getting any clearer.

The signings of players like Connor Barron for free and Hamza Igamane for a cheap fee are positive, but aren’t making the gap between the Gers and Celtic any smaller.

Clement’s right – Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was built out of materials that still stand today all across Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia two thousand years on.

At Rangers, the rebuild has been made out of paper mâché and matchsticks.

In other Rangers news, Robby McCrorie was desperate to leave in January but Philippe Clement blocked the deal.

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 Ibrox View: Clement seems to get Rangers excuse in early with cliché he's already used once appeared first on Ibrox News.