Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v Olympique Lyonnais - Stade Louis II, Monaco - September 11, 2022 AS Monaco coach Philippe Clement before the match REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Gary Keown has become the first Scottish journalist to question the possible appointment of Philippe Clement as the next manager at Ibrox.
The out of work Belgian seems to be at the top of the Recruitment List of James Bisgrove and John Bennett as they attempt to find a replacement for Micky Beale.
Clement was sacked by Monaco in June after 17 months and 73 matches in charge and is reported to be pushing for a four year contract payable in full as soon as he gets sacked.
That hardly seems unreasonable since Beale was given a three and a half year deal last November with most of his disastrous summer signings signing up to four year contracts.
After 10 days of brilliant profiling Clement has yet to sign up for a blazer and brogues, voicing his concerns in the Daily Mail, Keown writes:
If Clement is concerned, as reports suggest, by Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Michael Beale only being given a year or so before being bulleted, he ought to brush up on his homework.
You can’t be losing to Kilmarnock and Aberdeen at home, as Beale did. You can’t be losing to St Johnstone and slipping up at home to Livingston, as Van Bronckhorst did. Particularly when the big games have a habit of going belly-up too.
Steven Gerrard did get time to work at it, but the suspicion remains that he would have fallen on the back of defeats to Hamilton and Hearts had Covid not intervened in 2020.
The rules are the same for any Rangers boss. Be it Clement or Kevin Muscat or whoever. If you can’t, at the very least, stay right on Celtic’s shoulder, time is one gift you simply will not be given.
Overnight the reports were that an announcement will be made over the new manager in the next 36 or 48 hours.
UPDATE: Clement has been announced as Beale’s successor.
It’ll be the Alan Muir , Beaton , McLean dream team at the weekend to make sure of a first home win
Congratulations Philippe, you will now be immortal in the eyes of the Gullibilly’s, being the tribute act’s manager when Celtic FC officially become the most successful club in world football….
HH
Jotters in january !!! chortle !!
I’m defo calling it now: “Paul Le Guen II” awaits.
Clement has to be a magician to turn Beale’s sevco flops into winners,
AND – immediately!
He is taking on another manager’s squad, so The Blue Room has to give him
until this time next year to deliver his own settled, winning team / squad.
BUT, the bears are not renowned for their patience.
Clement has no prior ibrox connection, so he’s got to deliver something this
season, regardless, to keep the bears onside. 🙂
There’s no ‘suspicion’ that he’d have fallen on the back of defeats to Hearts and Hamilton had Covid not intervened…
Gerrard ABSOLUTELY would have –
Their forums were NUCLEAR and ready to explode after that defeat to Hamilton Accies at Liebrox !
Their problem was that he and his encourage were too expensive to sack. Looking back it seems absolutely incredible how was able to win the league. Our implosion in 2020/21 was the most catastrophic one until the Titan submersible.
Clement is now very clearly the chosen appointment of Bennett & Bisgrove.
IF the new manager stumbles this season,
the bears will quickly revert to raging,
BUT this time, Bennett & Bisgrove will be their targets of abuse as well.
And the Chairman isn’t likley to sacrifice himself either… 🙂
How long before either the Daily Record or Football Scotland run an article claiming Clement helped Kevin De Bruyne on his way to the top ?