Rangers manager Philippe Clement refuses to accept the title is gone if Rangers don’t win this weekend, also denying that the Celtic match is ‘must-win’.
Borderline raising the white flag about this fixture already, the manager claimed that there can still be a comeback even if we lose, with a very curious comment:
“I don’t totally agree with that (that it’s must win), so if you have a draw there you still can become champions, even if you lose but that’s a really really long shot and too long shot for me but with a point also but we go full for the three points.”
Words fail us on this one – we have never heard a Rangers manager suggest a match against Celtic, on any level, isn’t a must win, which is maybe the most unbecoming comment we’ve ever seen a Rangers boss make.
It was funny, Clement was expressing the importance of this fixture, that this is the kind of match you want to play in ‘as a boy’, but then when asked if it’s must win to secure the title he said it isn’t.
This is a worrying quote entirely, not only is he suggesting it’s ok not to beat Celtic, but then he contradicts himself anyway by saying a point makes the title a long shot.
He’s all over the place here, quite honestly, and any Rangers manager who thinks an Old Firm isn’t must win absolutely 100% doesn’t get it.
We’re sure the usual fans will defend him and try to be ‘pragmatic’ about these comments, but there’s no defending any Rangers boss who doesn’t think a match against Celtic, on any level ever, isn’t must win, let alone one which is basically a title decider.
If the manager is going into the dressing room explaining to the lads that they can get away with a draw, then he evidently doesn’t understand what it takes to be Rangers manager and how important beating Celtic is.
Mainly, in truth, because in his career (either player or manager) he never experienced a single serious football rivalry, never mind any on the scale of Rangers Celtic.
These comments haven’t really served to reassure us much that he’s grasping how important it is to beat Celtic.