Sport nationFormer Celtic striker Chris Sutton has delivered a scathing verdict on Rangers manager Philippe Clement, suggesting that he is on the brink of being sacked and that a defeat in the upcoming Ne’erday derby against Celtic could be the final nail in his coffin.
Sutton, who played for Celtic from 2000 to 2006, has been a vocal critic of Clement’s management, and in his latest opinion piece, he pulls no punches. “Brendan Rodgers spoke a year ago about facing five Rangers managers and each time the Ibrox team were coming,” Sutton writes. “By Friday, he might have to nudge that number up to six.”
Sutton points out that Clement has failed to win any of his seven matches against Celtic, and that his team’s recent performances have been inconsistent. “Rodgers has wiped the floor with permanent Rangers managers during his two spells at Celtic,” Sutton notes. “He’s thrust most of them out the door and Philippe Clement could easily be his next victim within the next few days.”
The former Celtic striker also criticizes Clement for making “crass and daft statements” and for failing to bridge the gap between Rangers and Celtic. “Any time he puts some credit in the bank, he always finds a way to empty his account,” Sutton writes. “On that day Rodgers spoke, Clement had faced Rodgers for the first time. Celtic weren’t in great form, whereas his team were flying. Rodgers won.”
Sutton praises Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic team for their outstanding form, having dropped just four points all season, and for their success in the Champions League. “To be after Christmas having dropped just four points all season is an outstanding effort,” Sutton notes. “They usually find ways to win games when they are not their best, they have the first trophy and they are on the brink of qualification to the next stage of the Champions League.”
Sutton believes that Rodgers has been the key factor in Celtic’s dominance over Rangers and that Clement has been unable to match him. “Clement is just going around in circles,” Sutton writes. “He’s not getting anywhere and I can’t see that changing in the medium or long term future.”
The former Celtic striker also suggests that Clement’s position at Rangers has become untenable, and that he may not survive even if he wins the next Old Firm match. “How much blame you want to apportion to him and how much to the state of the club he’s working in is down to personal choice,” Sutton notes. “But that St Mirren defeat has, in my eyes, just edged the Belgian even closer to the cliff edge. Rodgers could be about to push him off into the abyss.”
Sutton’s opinion piece is a scathing critique of Clement’s management and a testament to Rodgers’ success at Celtic. It will be interesting to see how the Ne’erday derby plays out and whether Clement can turn things around for Rangers. One thing is certain, however: the pressure is mounting on the Rangers manager, and he needs a win against Celtic to alleviate some of that pressure.
Sport nation
Amina Umar