RANGERS chief executive Patrick Stewart has labelled the club’s recent Scottish Cup humiliation as a source of SHAME.
But he insists sacking Philippe Clement in the wake of the dismal Queen’s Park result wouldn’t have been the right course of action.
Philippe Clement is under major pressure from the Rangers fans[/caption]
New CEO Patrick Stewart (right) has spoken on the manager’s future again[/caption]
Rangers were embarrassed by Queen’s Park at Ibrox[/caption]
The result is one of the worst in the Gers’ history[/caption]
Rangers were dramatically dumped out of the Scottish Cup by the Championship outfit a couple of weekends ago.
The 1-0 defeat to Queen’s Park is undoubtedly one of the worst results in the Light Blues’ history and it was a result that had many fans demanding that the axe fell on the beleaguered manager Clement.
The Belgian, appointed in October 2023, has been under serious pressure at various points this season.
Raging fans protested against those running the club in early January, before a decent run of domestic and continental form lowered the heat on Clement for a period.
However, the shock loss to Queen’s Park saw tensions boil over again.
Many Rangers fans have seen enough and want Clement, who is under contract until 2028, removed as manager.
A video circulated on social media showing the under-fire boss receiving a volley of abuse as he exited Ibrox after the game.
Gers fans, too, were unhappy at what they viewed as radio silence from senior club figures in the wake of the defeat to the Spiders.
However, two weeks on, chief executive Patrick Stewart has broken his silence.
The former Man Utd chief began work in December and just a few weeks into the job, was forced to publicly declare he and the board’s ongoing support for Clement.
And despite the Queen’s Park horror show, it seems like that support has not wavered.
Stewart has acknowledged the Queen’s Park result as ‘disastrous’ and ‘source of shame.’
However, he reckons it would be a RISK for Rangers to dispose of Clement and instead intends to sort “root causes” to the Light Blues’ ongoing underperformance.
Stewart told Rangers TV: “I don’t want anyone to doubt the gravity of the result and how I view the gravity of the result. You can’t sugarcoat it, it was disastrous.
“It’s historically obviously a significant moment. It’s the first time we’ve got out to lower league opposition at home in the Scottish Cup.
“That is not lost on me. That’s obviously a source of shame for the club. Clearly there’s financial impact as well, but more importantly it was a really good opportunity to win a trophy and that’s now gone.
“It’s impacted everyone at the club, let’s be clear. Obviously everyone at Auchenhowie, but also around the club, it’s impacted morale and serious questions have been asked. So yeah, it’s a massive blow.”
In a to-the-point question, Stewart was simply asked: “why is Philippe Clement still the manager?”
He stated his belief that changing manager previously hasn’t changed Rangers’ fortunes – and wants to focus on the ‘root causes’.
Stewart even insisted that Clement should be given CREDIT – for the club’s impressive European run this season.
While it’s been a tough campaign domestically, the Gers finished in the top eight of the Europa League to punch a ticket directly to the last 16 of the competition.
And Stewart reckons that removing Clement would present a RISK to the club’s success and hopes for Europe this season.
I’ve said consistently now, we are not refusing to make changes because of finances. So all I can do is reiterate that, but that’s absolutely not the case.
To keep somebody in position to avoid a termination payment, that’s just a false economy.
So that’s not a way to run a club and that’s not what we’re doing. Decisions have been made for the long-term interest of the football club, not to save money.
Patrick Stewart, Rangers CEO
Stewart continued: “Why is he still the manager? Look, I’m going to go back to what I said in January.
“We have been under-performing as a club for several seasons now and that’s not down to a manager. We’ve changed the manager and it’s not made a difference.
“But what I’m doing now is I’m looking at the root causes of that and until we sort those root causes then it’s akin to trying to fix a broken house and starting with the ceiling instead of starting with the root foundation.
“So I’m going into the foundations and having a really good look at this. So that’s the first reason.
“Secondly, look, for all the Queen’s Park result was disastrous, I think we do also have to give credit to Philippe and the team for the Europa League run.
“We had a really tough draw. Four of the top eight we played against and we finished in the top eight. So they deserve real credit for that.
“And I don’t want to take a step that would put further progress in the Europa League at risk. So that’s another reason for why we continue to keep Philippe in his role.
“I’ve said this before, I am not here to make popular decisions and get quick wins. I do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. I’m not going to do that.
“I’ve got to keep real discipline and focus on making sure that we are making the right decisions in the right order for the long benefit of the club and not knee-jerk reacting to what was frankly a disastrous result.
“I’m not trying to duck from that, but we’ve got to stick to the plan. To be clear though, we’re all judged on results, myself, Philippe.
“So there’s no free passes here, but we are sticking to the plan and I’m going to be incredibly disciplined about that because we’ve not always been that in the past.”
As Clement had already previously said, he and Stewart spoke after the Queen’s Park game.
Stewart opened up on those talks and for the THIRD time insisted that the decision not to sack Clement wasn’t down to finances.
He continued: “So Philippe already said in his press conference, we speak after every game. So I always go down to see Philippe after the game.
“Clearly after the Queen’s Park match, it was a longer conversation and myself and the board were much more focused on how Philippe and the team respond to that significant setback and looking forward. So that’s what we’re really focused on.
“I’ve said consistently now, we are not refusing to make changes because of finances. So all I can do is reiterate that, but that’s absolutely not the case.
“To keep somebody in position to avoid a termination payment, that’s just a false economy. So that’s not a way to run a club and that’s not what we’re doing. Decisions have been made for the long-term interest of the football club, not to save money.”
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
