Philippe Clement teetering on Rangers brink as former star issues major Hampden warning

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Under-fire Rangers boss Philippe Clement will be left teetering on the brink of the sack if his side slip up at Hampden this weekend, according to former Ibrox star Billy Dodds.

The Belgian boss is facing a furious backlash from supporters after his side dropped nine points off title frontrunners Aberdeen and Celtic. Wednesday night’s damaging defeat to Jimmy Thelin’s rampant Reds was the final straw for a growing portion of the Gers fanbase.

For others, it was the Belgian boss’ claim that his side had put in one of their best performances of the season - despite being out played for the whole of the first half and parts of the second. And Dodds reckons another loss to Motherwell in Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final could well force the Rangers board to come to the same conclusion too.

The former Scotland striker said: “If anything goes wrong in the semi, I think it's getting to that time where Philippe Clement will know he's on the brink. It doesn't take me to tell you that Clement will know he's in trouble if anything goes wrong against Motherwell.

“After seeing the fans at Kilmarnock and then seeing them at Pittodrie on Wednesday night, I think he'll know.

“And that's why he probably elaborated too long after the game. If it was me, I’d have tried to keep it simple. But it looks as if he's trying to find a way to appease them.

“The fans don't want to hear that, though. They just want to see action on the pitch now. That’s where it’s at now.”

Clement has been in post for just over a year. He made an immediate impression on the Ibrox faithful when first appointed as he took a team going nowhere under Michael Beale and transformed into one that was able to lift the League Cup, qualify for the last 16 of the Europa League and then overhaul a seven-point Premiership deficit on Celtic.

But he failed to build on that promising start, allowing Celtic to nip back in front as last year's title race entered the final straight. This season’s competition hasn’t started any better and he’s now clinging on to his job by his fingernails.

Asked if Gers had regressed this term, Dodds said: “It looks that way. You can’t argue with the facts. Being realistic about it all now, if you compare last year to this season, they’re not just chasing Celtic now, they’re chasing Aberdeen too now, which is crazy stuff. That’s why Rangers fans are going mental.

“Yes they did kick on last year under Clement and actually catch Celtic before fading away. But I just can’t see that kind of fightback happening this year.”

While Gers have a hectic European schedule to fulfil between now and the end of January, Thelin’s Dons will be able to rest up and focus on keeping pace with Brendan Rodgers’ champions.

But having now had a look at the nine new faces Rangers signed over the summer, Dodds isn’t surprised that the Light Blues are struggling to cope with the exertions of balancing duties at home and abroad.

He said: “Rangers have made all these signings to cope with that schedule. But I don’t see when the standard of player Rangers have signed rising from Michael Beale’s time in charge to now.

“They’ve brought in nine new players but I don’t see among them even two who I think, ‘Oh they are beauties’. I just see the same standard as before. And that is worrying.”

*Dodds was speaking as he helped launch Mr Singh’s Indian restaurant launch its new dine-at-home retail range, which is available from Costco.

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