GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 25: Rangers Manager Philippe Clement looks dejected after collecting the runners-up medal during a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup final match between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park, on May 25, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Hugh Keevins appears to be having a pre-season panic over the brilliance of Phil Clement.
For six months the former Monaco boss could do no wrong as he brought hope to the loyal bears that had emotionally invested in Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Micky Beale only to see both bosses trashed and taken apart by Scotland’s most successful club.
Nineteen domestic trophies out of 24 is unprecedented, five trebles in eight years is a level of domination that has driven Ibrox fans to the brink of despair but every autumn they are thrown a bone with a new manager to put Selik in their place.
Every summer new players arrive ready to turn the tide, from Joey Barton and Bruno Alves to Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers they all talk the talk without walking the walk.
The expectation of the fans is largely driven by legacy media. Living in hope although deep down they all know it is wholly unrealistic with those dreams only leading to greater despair when the trophies pile up at Celtic Park. 118 at the last end of season count.
Keevins has had a difficult time of it in recent months, Brendan Rodgers remains stubbornly in charge of Celtic with the veteran reporter reaching for the white flag as he warns the Record‘s rapidly declining Army of Readers:
There is no soft solution to Rangers ’ current predicament. Hard cash only.
And that is why tomorrow’s draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League is of paramount importance to Philippe Clement. The manager has spilled every bean there is to spill about the problems created by living in what we’ll call reduced circumstances at Ibrox. There is, he has freely admitted, no money to buy players. The only way to make new signings is to sell those at his disposal who have a reasonable value on the transfer market.
Which means further reducing experience within his squad while carrying out what the Belgian has said is a “massive rebuilding job”. That’s quite the conundrum, is it not? The extent to which Clement can alleviate his difficulties before Rangers’ Champions League qualifier has to be played next month is negligible to minimal.
Which means further reducing experience within his squad while carrying out what the Belgian has said is a “massive rebuilding job”. That’s quite the conundrum, is it not? The extent to which Clement can alleviate his difficulties before Rangers’ Champions League qualifier has to be played next month is negligible to minimal.
That is all a far cry from November when the former Monaco boss was being celebrated for giving Keevins hope that Celtic’s domination could be broken. Nothing was beyond the capabilities of A Proper Football Manager.
All it took was a couple of dubious wins assisted by Crawford Allan and VAR to restore belief that the season wouldn’t end with yet another Presentation Day at Celtic Park.
On November 5 Record readers were given some fireworks to enjoy with:
You could hardly call four games a body of work but Philippe Clement, based on the evidence gathered so far, could be Rangers’ Ange Postecoglou.
Ange took six games to work out Scottish football when he arrived from Japan to manage Celtic – then he dominated our game until he left for Spurs. Clement has yet to lose a match and has started to get a tune out of players who were only capable of one bum note after another under his predecessor Michael Beale.
Every time Clement speaks he makes Beale sound like a bigger, even more regrettable, error of judgment by those who hired him. Asked last week if he could offer an opinion on Rangers’ chronic injury list, the Belgian said he could but his answer would not be for “you guys”. In other words, a media black-out to prevent defamatory material becoming public.
The Ange that Keevins was referring to was the guy that won five out of six domestic trophies not the Absolutely Not Good Enough manager that he slaughtered after one SPFL match.
The truth is that Clement is a bang average manager with a bang average squad of players with Keevins and his media buddies again getting carried away with the early days of another Revolution! at Ibrox.
James Tavernier can’t defend, he never has, Connor Goldson melts under pressure, Scott Wright is a competition winner, Ben Davies is a lower Championship level defender.
Their value is apparent by the complete lack of interest from other clubs, if any leave it will be for an undisclosed fee which is code for getting paid off.
Another Revolution! will be launched in the autumn, there will probably be a new manager bounce before reality kicks in at a Tribute Act that has avoided reality since formation by Charles Green in the brilliant summer of 2012.
Meanwhile print circulation of the Sunday Mail is falling 3% month on month, by the turn of the year there will be less than 40,000 loyal readers hanging on to the inside word of the expert pundits.
The Belgian Postecoglou, 5 November 2023.https://t.co/oZYwuTVG4Y
— Celtic365 (@videocelts) July 21, 2024
Lol BREAKING NEWS suld PISHY has written an artivle that is not about Celtic.
For once he hss actually written abiut devco and in so do glowing shiny terms.
He has actually calked them out on being SKINT, and having no CASH for the proper mansger to buy proper players.
He talks about moving one bad situation to anither having to try and sell players on before bringing othrrs innthe door,and yet one of his ARSEHOLES of a colleague at the daily sevco had a story out yesterday that £7 million quid had been bid for Morgan Whitiker,they would a better chance of signing Roger Whittiker.
Just more LIES from The LIEBROX loving LYING Record then Joker !
Nothing New From this little creepy weasel.
The weak Fenian Must Hate his own name “
Wouldn’t be surprised to of him. Consistently bent over the editor’s desk.
God forbid he starts to back celtic, then we really are doomed, that old fool couldn’t pick his arse even if he had 2 pairs of hands!
That was not an opinion piece from keevins today but a lament
I have noticed something in the passing years about Sevco and that is when the media and fanbase want rid of a manager there are negative stories about them and they tend not to get the “breaks” on the park.
When I read it was a disaster against Man U I immediately thought they had been beaten at least 5 nil which turned out it wasn’t the case. The project now is to get rid of Clement before the season starts.
So much so Celtic are even shown in a good light with today’s Daily Nonsense having Southampton about to break the record fee for Matt O’Riley .
Why Kenny Dalgleish is brought in as an “expert” on Sevco, from time to time, I’ll never know especially they didn’t exist when he was playing but there he is telling us Clement is under great pressure and piling it on.
Nurshe! Av shat masel again!
Really Mr Keevins that’s the 3rd time today.
Clement implied he was told fibs when recruited in October.
We’ve all witnessed the shambles around the ibrox club development.
And you don’t need to be an accountant to know that sevco is desperately
short of cash for this season.
…and that’s before you even consider the Elite case with legal costs to pay,
– and probably compensation as well? [Even if it doesn’t go to court.]
The unannounced sharp exit by Clement after the game yesterday
could be an indication that he’s ‘done’ :
he’s gone home and wont return until/unless he is given
strict and substantiated assurances?
Nice sideline making a few quid ghostwriting books for Celtic legends , whilst getting paid by pro hun media outlets to obliterate the Celtic team , the manager and the fans at every opportunity
I may be wrong, it has been known, but I think all this talk about a record transfer fee for Matt O’Riley is just to wind up the Celtic support and heap disappointment on them when it fails to materialise and he goes for a lot less. I would be very surprised if anything near £30 million was offered and would suggest Lawwell would accept around £10 million. He is a great player but he didn’t “turn up” against Sevco in the last match which I think contributed to him not getting picked for his country. That last fact negates any chance of a record breaking fee.
We’ll see but you might have heard it here first.
Editor: After dinking in a Panenka at Ibrox then opening the scoring in the decisive SPFL match at home on May 11 perhaps Matt had ran his race by the time of the Scottish Cup Final, still miles better than his opponents even at 50%.
Why do the Huns love him?
It is because he is a traitor to the Tims.
Simple!
Like Jo Biden, he is everything to all people.
But at the first sign of danger, Joe throws in the towel.
“I Was Only Kidding!”
Keevins is starting to change his tune I suppose!