Kris Boyd has given a dim assessment of Philippe Clement’s future prospects as Rangers manager, arguing a change is needed after the club slipped further behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers’ miserable away form continued on Thursday with a 1-1 draw against Dundee leaving them 15 points behind their rivals at the top of the table.
They started the game at Dens Park with just three wins in 10 league games away from Ibrox, and were unable to complete a turnaround to improve that record after a goalless second half followed Vaclav Cerny canceling out Oluwaseun Adewumi’s goal.
The result provided more ammunition for those who believe Clement’s time at Ibrox must be over, with the club’s fans showing their displeasure at the full whistle.
“It’s just excuse after excuse,” said former Rangers striker Boyd Sky Sports. “Rangers have got a team that needs to come here and wipe the floor with Dundee but they’re pushing on.
“Thirteen points from 33 away from home is a disgrace. You can talk about progress but there is none. You talk about players who are tired and low in confidence. You absolutely destroyed Celtic a week ago or 10 days ago – you destroyed them.
“And you’re fighting for confidence. You lose two, you draw a game and you lose a game before the Celtic game. There was no battle of confidence in the Celtic game.
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Rangers manager Philippe Clement reacts to his side’s 1-1 draw with Dundee amid mounting pressure from fans.
And now after that, you’ve drawn two games again and there’s a lack of confidence in them. It just doesn’t make sense.
“I just look at the club now and on the pitch, it’s broken. There’s no pattern of play, there’s nothing. You always refer to the Celtic game as Rangers’ best performance this season.
“But it can’t just be a one-off, we know that. It’s an absolute disgrace that Rangers are in this position.
Rangers’ Hamza Igamane responds to Dundee’s opener
“And you can see that you didn’t spend money. Money was spent. Yes, there was a cost reduction, but there was money spent.
“There’s no improvement. We talked about injuries getting better, too. I mean, this is actually worse.
“You can talk about moving players and playing extra minutes. Get what? You’re a footballer. That’s what you’re paid for, it’s playing minutes.
“There is no progress at all, it is done.
“Now it’s over (Rangers CEO) Patrick Stewart, because I’m telling you right now, these are the last two away games we’ve been to.
“Those fans have had enough and it will get to the stage where they stop coming to games and then you will see the real problems start to materialize for Rangers because this cannot continue.”
Sutton: Brendan pops open champagne
Dundee’s Oluwaseun Adewumi celebrates after scoring
Chris Sutton on Sky Sports:
“Philippe Clement must take responsibility, but it is also the players on the pitch who have the knowledge and understanding of how to win games.
“You look at the Rangers squad and think, ‘does the shirt fit many of these players?’ I have said before that there is a losing mentality at the club and nothing has changed and it is not just for Philippe Clement.
“This has been happening now for years and years and years. And you look at how pointless that performance was tonight. Celtic are laughing at them.
Rangers conceded first at Dens Park
“Brendan Rodgers, he’ll be popping the champagne tonight, laughing at them. It’s an embarrassment that we’re at the start of January and Celtic are 15 points clear at the top. It’s shocking and it’s amazing.
“We were talking before the game and me and Kris (Boyd) thought Philippe Clement should have gone a long time ago. But they are at a sort of crossroads now because can this continue? The club is in regression.
“And so are we going to look at that or is Patrick Stewart going to look at the bigger picture and not just a game against Celtic where they step up the game or, you know, the odd game in Europe?
“Clement will come out and talk about Celtic having a bigger budget, but Rangers shouldn’t drop 19 points against teams who have a much, much smaller budget than them, and he never mentions that.
“We hear the excuses week after week now. And that’s not good enough. And it’s time for him to take ownership, but he won’t.
“But this Belgian waffle will go on and on and on. It won’t stop until a decision is made on it.”
Clement: I have ‘200 per cent’ the support of the board
Philippe Clement claimed the Rangers board are “200 per cent” behind him. Asked if he was confident the board, which has a new chief executive in Patrick Stewart, is still behind him 100 per cent, the Belgian boss replied: “Yes, 200 per cent.
“We talk every day about everything, about January, about the next season, about everything. Yes, of course the fans are unhappy.
“We are also unhappy, we are all unhappy, to lose these three points. The supporters are always behind us when we are good, when we play good games. So today was not a good game.
Vaclav Cerny celebrates after scoring to make the score 1-1
“So I understand they are unhappy about that. I know these supporters, that they don’t give up when we show quality. It’s about us showing quality on the pitch and then they’re straight behind the team, always.
“So it is our duty to do this as soon as possible. This starts on Sunday, to show the quality again and on both sides of the game. Not only in attack, but also in defense.
“Today in defense it was better compared to the last away matches. In this way a positive. The game Clinton Nsiala played in his first game for Rangers, a positive point.
“But in the end, it’s about results, of course. A lot of points poured in over the last two or three weeks.”
