Following their 1-0 loss to Queen’s Park in the SFA Cup at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon, Glasgow Rangers and Philippe Clement were left feeling upset.
James Tavernier missed a penalty kick in the 97th minute to keep his team in the game, marking the first time in the club’s history that they have lost at Ibrox to a lower division team in the SFA Cup.
According to Sky Sports, the Belgian manager will be in the bench against Hearts on Sunday, so even if Clement called the outcome “unacceptable,” he is not anticipated to lose his job as a result.
Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart, however, should consider changing his stance on the former Monaco manager’s future, due to the team’s struggles in his time at Ibrox.
Why Rangers should sack Philippe Clement
The Light Blues appointed Clement to replace Michael Beale in October of 2023 when the Ibrox giants were seven points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table.
Early in his career, Rangers defeated Aberdeen 1-0 in the League Cup final at Hampden Park, but since then, there hasn’t been much to celebrate.
Due to a last-minute goal from Adam Idah, the Gers lost to the Hoops in the SFA Cup final and finished the 2023–24 season in second place in the Premiership.
This season, Rangers lost to Celtic in the final of the League Cup and are already a whopping 13 points behind their rivals in the Premiership title race, whilst they are now out of the SFA Cup after their historic defeat to Queen’s Park.
The Light Blues are, therefore, in a worse position, in the league and in the domestic cups, than they were when Clement took the job almost 18 months ago, which is why Stewart should brutally sack the Belgian boss.
The manager Rangers should replace Clement with
The Rangers CEO could ruthlessly part ways with the current Ibrox coach by revisiting the club’s interest in Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen, who was of interest to the club when Clement first got the job in 2023.
Ulrik Saltnes, the captain of Bodo/Glimt, once referred to the tactician’s style of play as “kamikaze,” citing the team’s high-energy, fierce press as the basis for what might be an entertaining, all-action type of football for Rangers to watch.
However, because they haven’t won the Premiership since the 2020–21 season under Steven Gerrard’s leadership, fans may simply want to see a style that eventually brings the trophy back to Ibrox.
As you can see in the table above, Knutsen has led his Bodo/Glimt side to the Eliteserien title in four of the last five seasons, most recently securing the title in the 2024 season.
These achievements suggest that the Norwegian head coach knows what it takes to dominate a league and to achieve the consistency required to win domestic titles, which is exactly what Rangers need moving forward.
Therefore, Stewart should fire Clement in order to pursue a contract for Knutsen, who might be a great addition as a manager with the requisite experience needed for what the Gers need in a head coach, both in terms of winning titles and style of play.
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