Six days before facing Celtic Phil Clement isn’t standing up well to the pressure.
For four months A Proper Football Manager could do no wrong as he resolved the issues created by Micky Beale with the exception of finding a way to beat Celtic.
Everything was refreshing, innovative and praised by the Scottish media but since being knocked out of the Europa League there are signs that the new man has the same failings as Beale and Pedro Caixinha.
Being briefed by the paranoid Ibrox PR machine doesn’t help, increasingly Celtic have been featuring in his media comments such as a dig about the hoops only drawing their Scottish Cup semi-final with Aberdeen.
After beating Hearts 3-0 on Saturday Brendan Rodgers was inevitably asked about the Glasgow Derby.
The Celtic boss knows that a media frenzy lies ahead, deflecting from that he said that his players would be looking for some fun in that fixture.
A Proper Football Manager would deflect away from a response to that comment, the former Monaco boss walked straight into it- head on!
Clement said:
That it is something that I would never say about an opponent but okay, we will see. It’s not really respectful towards my team. That is what I think. So I will never say things like that about an opponent.
I am looking forward to that (game) and to be honest as a manager I would love that it was tomorrow instead of next week – but that is maybe not so good for my players.
?? “I will never say things like that about an opponent”
Philippe Clement responds to Brendan Rodgers’ “we’ll have fun” comments and brands them disrespectful.
?? Watch in full: https://t.co/Z0bmEsY6ui pic.twitter.com/ymc6kuPpaF
— The Rangers Review (@RangersReview55) May 5, 2024
The Sun reported Rodgers saying:
Now you start to see a bit more of what a Celtic team of mine should look like.
And still with a lot of work to do to get it to that point. But it’s certainly heading in the right direction.
Eighty per cent of it now is mental. Physically they are in a really good place. This stage it’s all about mentality. You can see mentally we are in a really good place.
Take nothing for granted, keep our composure, we have a lot of work to do in the week, get our plan ready. And then next Saturday we can have a bit of fun.
— Tam sellic son (@TamseIIicsonIII) May 5, 2024
COYBIG, get it done lads!!!!!
If big Phil’s tactics are going to be focused around Sterling receiving long diagonal balls against Taylor and as back up for Terrified Tavpen, it’ll be the Sevco fan’s who’ll have some fun wae him come Saturday night.
HH
The most innocuous of remarks has needled him towards Kevin Keegan territory. I love Keegan, even though he can be a bit of a prat at times he wears his heart on his sleeve and is full of enthusiasm for football – but never for a second did I ever want him managing my team, far too emotional and combustible when what you need is a cold, ruthless strategist making the decisions….. having had a very difficult season, I just can’t see BRodge and the team letting this slip now. Notwithstanding their results against Hearts, Sevco aren’t really much better than Hearts and if we play next weekend like we did on Saturday, there will be only one outcome.
How does the model for The Scream have fun?
Maybe he discusses tactics with his Rice Krispies.
I’ll tell you something Baldy dizny like being criticised lol! Asked how much they had to improve for Sat & his reply “They say they’ll have fun, we’ll have fun also” lol! Naw u wilny Baldy, we’re gonny have a PARTY, ur pub teams fur a HUMPING LOL!
Maybe they should have asked some follow up questions about caravans, dogs barking and bullfighting – and maybe asked him them while he was standing in a bush surrounded by angry Huns. Pedro 2.0.
If we are good enough and fortunate enough to prevail on Saturday…
Could The Parkhead DJ Please Please Please at the final whistle play loudly and proudly –
FUN, FUN, FUN,
By The Beech Boys…
Which would be very apt as our lads would then be League wise anyway Beech Bhoys !
(Perhaps some Celtic supporters more tecchy savvy than me could contact the club regarding this)…
Ha Ha – Just looked at the headline there and another one that Celtic could play to dig at Clement is the old Patsy Clyde song…
“I fall to pieces” !!!
Ach wish there was an edit option –
Patsy CLYNE song and not Patsy Clyde as it looks !
I think I’ve tippled as to why big Clem – on is so sad ? I’ve heard that one of the small sponsors behind the Ibrox scenes is Kleenex tissues and he was just giving the super strength snot cleaner a nice unnamed ‘plug ‘ ….a ‘ blowing of the trumpet ‘ kind of ‘plug ‘ !
What is disrespectful is Monsieur Clement assuming, in his own remarks about the points difference, Celtic are the only side that will beat them.