Philippe Clement’s patience with the Ibrox board is at breaking point.
Hired in October to manage the shambles created by Micky Beale his January budget requirements would have featured strongly in job discussions.
On every front Clement has delivered with one trophy in the Blue Room alongside a place in the last 16 of the Europa League with the gap narrowed on Celtic.
In most circumstances that would bring forward some transfer funding but despite getting Fabio Silva in on loan on day one no further business has completed.
Danilo, Kieran Dowell and Abdallah Sima are all facing long term absences, Ridvan Yilmaz is trying to find an escape with no word on John Lundstram or Borna Barisic signing new contracts.
With fans and media whipped into a frenzy of excitement Clement has his hands full trying to keep expectations in check with every media conference angling for news on big money signings.
The strain seemed to come through on two subjects at today’s media conference.
5 minutes 40 seconds
Would you be content and confident if you don’t manage to add to your squad?
No. Because that was not the idea of the club. I am confident that we will do the things that we are all aligned on.
You have brought Alex Lowry back from Hearts…
No, I didn’t bring him back. Hearts said that they didn’t want to keep him for the next six months. The clear plan with Alex is that we want him to go on loan again to get minutes. That is the plan with him because in the squad that there is now, it is going to be difficult for him to take minutes.
It was a clear plan for one year to take minutes and take experience and to become stronger, to come back in a good way and then make an assessment in the summer. That is what we are trying to do now and we will see who are the teams that are interested and what is the best place for him to go in the way we want to play football.
There are far more diplomatic ways to deal with the Lowry question, Jane Lewis of BBC Scotland wasn’t chasing a headline, simply hoping that young Lowry might have a part to play in the Clement Revolution.
Having gone public with his concerns about the limitations of the squad Clement is covering his back- and putting the spotlight on James Bisgrove to provide him with the same level of funding that Micky Beale got in the summer.
Lowry was one of the stand out performers for Hearts this season. Interesting that they’d be desperate to get rid of a player that’s been excellent for them. I smell shite here!
Apparently he’s a wee tosser who thinks he’s a superstar.
Not a good sign when the manager is losing it at a presser?
Must be rather tense in the background at ibrox,
and that could filter down to the players?
I would actually feel sorry for Clement….
if he wasn’t sevco manager. 🙂
Next he’ll be asking the interviewer ‘why do you think Lowry came back to Rangers?, no seriously, I’d like your opinion on that’,,,,,,,oops, he used that one up already,,,,,,,forgot d’oh!!