Rangers Manager Philippe Clement’s tenure comes to an end following a tumultuous 16-month period at the helm, marked by inconsistent performances and a struggling team that failed to match Celtic’s consistency.
Philippe Clement oversaw a 2-0 home defeat by St Mirren in his final game as Rangers manager. This result proved to be the final straw for the board, who had been under extreme pressure since the humiliating Scottish Cup exit at the hands of ‘Queen’s Park’ a fortnight ago.
Clement departs Rangers – 13 points adrift of their city rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership – at a time when the club are in talks about a multimillion-pound investment by a United States-led consortium. The Belgian, 50, had been under pressure this season as his team struggled to match Celtic’s consistency.
Although Clement led the club to the last 16 of the Europa League, where they will face ‘Fenerbahce‘ next month, the 50-year-old vacates his position at Ibrox with Rangers well adrift of Celtic at the top of the league and set to end the season without a domestic trophy. His record was competent, emulating last season’s achievement of reaching the last 16 of the Europa League.
Clement succeeded ‘Michael Beale’ in October 2023 and led Rangers to the League Cup two months after his appointment. The former Club Brugge and Monaco manager briefly hauled them into title contention last season, but they eventually finished eight points adrift of Celtic. He was never able to recapture the promising form of his early months in the job.
Philippe Clement is a Belgian professional football manager and former player.
Born on March 22, 1974, in Bruges, Belgium, Clement began his playing career at Club Brugge before transitioning to management.
He has managed several clubs, including Genk, Lokeren, and Kortrijk.
Clement's managerial experience spans over a decade, with notable achievements in the Belgian Pro League.
Rangers have struggled badly on their travels this season, winning only five of their 13 away matches in the Premiership, but their relatively strong home form at least kept them clear of the pack in second place. ‘Patrick Stewart’, their recently appointed chief executive, had twice given his backing to the increasingly beleaguered manager.
Clement exits after winning 55 of his 86 games in charge, drawing 16 and losing 15. With the club facing a managerial compensation pay-out for the third season running, Rangers are looking for their fifth permanent manager inside four years with neither ‘Giovanni van Bronckhorst‘, ‘Beale’ nor Clement able to put in a credible enough challenge to Celtic since ‘Steven Gerrard‘ won the Ibrox side’s last league title in 2021.
