Philippe Clement suggests his stuttering Rangers side can still win the Scottish Premiership title – but that the team needs the support of the fans to do so.
The Rangers support are incensed at a shocking run of form from their side, where one win in five Scottish Premiership matches has let slip a slender title advantage.
Heading into the Scottish Premiership’s final five games, Rangers are three points off Celtic with a game at Parkhead still to come.
Mathematically, the title fight is therefore still in Rangers’ hands but a necessary swing of points and goals is a challenge which increasingly few believe this side is capable.
Despite that, Philippe Clement has tried to galvanise the club following the 0-0 draw with Dundee and claims it is not over until the fat lady sings.
Philippe Clement wants Rangers first in title run-in
When Philippe Clement took over in October, the idea Rangers would still technically be in a treble hunt come April was fanciful to say the least.
Since then, the Rangers team‘s false start has been amended but the last few weeks have seen the club’s title confidence shatter by every 90 minutes devoid of the necessary passion to win for this club.
Despite that, Clement believes this Rangers team can upset the odds in the final furlong and is perfectly comfortable being the only one who does.
“I still believe that,” said Clement. “I was maybe the only one in Glasgow who believed that in October.
“Probably the only one of all town who believed that. So we are now six months later and if we win all our games then there’s a really big possibility for that.
“So I think that’s already a big step forward and I believe in these players, in this group, because I’ve seen what they’ve done this season already.”
How do Rangers do that? Well, according to Philippe Clement himself, the Ibrox side will need to win all five of their post-split games to lift the title.
Not only is this something which has NEVER been done by Rangers, but there’s not exactly confidence in the stands that this rudderless team can go on to make history.
When a Rangers team in the hunt for a title serves up rubbish for four games out of five, can you blame anyone for feeling this way?
“I said when we were winning the games, I said the same,” said Clement when asked about the league table. “I will look at the end but OK you guys point out the ranking a lot.
“So I know we need maybe to win five games to do that but we made series like that during the season.
“It’s about game-by-game doing that and focusing on that and not on the series. So we still have our own fate in our hands.”
Ibrox fans can force ball “over the line”
As the confidence in the side seeps from the stands, Philippe Clement has urged supporters to stick with the Rangers team.
There is one non-negotiable to playing and making it at Rangers and that is accountability.
We need players who are willing to leave it all on the pitch for us in the hunt for Scottish footballing prestige.
Going by the pathetic showings of the last few weeks, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that we have them.
Despite the apathy from within the Rangers support, Philippe Clement has urged the fans to “push the team over the line” in the final five games.
“They need to stick with the team, that’s super important,” said Clement. “Because it’s winning together and losing points together.
“I know as a fan you have the emotions and for sure after a game but they’ve been great the last couple of months.
“They have been pushing the team also over difficult moments and that’s what I expect also in this situation, like they expected that the team gives everything to win games.
“Maybe then the next couple of weeks they can push the team a few times over the line or the ball over the line.”
If Philippe Clement wants Rangers fans to stick with these players, then he needs to ensure these players give us something more.
We need this team to take responsibility from the first whistle to the last and if they don’t, they can forget fans taking any shred of accountability for this embarrassing collapse in the final sprint.
Remarkably, Rangers manager Philippe Clement believes the the pressure of the title race doesn’t have “anything to do” with his side’s recent collapse.
Who wants a bet that the moment the pressure is off this team of perennial bottle jobs finally find their shooting boots?
