Over the last ten years, one pattern that has repeated itself time and time again is the Ibrox club’s uncanny ability to spin its way out of a crisis with a single victory and a heavy dose of bluster about their supposed brilliance. I expected nothing less this afternoon as the dust settled on their home win against the Romanians.
It was utterly predictable because we’ve seen it all before, over and over. For the past decade, Ibrox managers have never been more than a half dozen games from crisis. Yet somehow, they’re also always only one win away from “turning the corner.”
Every time an Ibrox boss in trouble scrapes together a victory, all talk of crisis evaporates in the media. Instead, the coverage shifts dramatically towards “rebirth” and “second chances,” as if this time they’re genuinely on the brink of greatness.
Last night, they beat a poor team – not just a poor side in general, but effectively Steaua Bucharest’s reserve squad. Bucharest didn’t play their best players, a clear indicator of how little regard some clubs have for the Europa League and Europa Conference League but also a sign of the internal turmoil at their club, something our media sniggered at when reports suggested the chairman had picked the team.
We’ll see if they remember that contempt for a manager who bows to that pressure when Hagi next starts for the Ibrox side.
But the disdain they showed for the competition last night reflects a recurring theme I keep returning to when assessing the Ibrox side’s supposedly “brilliant” European form.
For some clubs, the Europa League is more of a financial opportunity than a prestige contest. They’re not about to compromise their domestic ambitions by fielding their best squad. This attitude is typical, especially if a Premier League team were to play in the Europa Conference League; most wouldn’t take it seriously unless they were desperate for any semblance of European recognition. These tournaments don’t offer the same allure as the Champions League, and many clubs see it as a chance to rotate their squads rather than risk their best players.
Winning comfortably at home in Europe undoubtedly boosts morale. It raises spirits and temporarily masks a multitude of deeper issues. But let’s not be mistaken: this is a club that remains a mess. The fact that last night, Cyriel Dessers decided to take himself off the pitch without even consulting the manager speaks volumes about the total breakdown of discipline there. Few clubs would have tolerated that kind of behaviour, even with an apology afterward.
A glance at today’s papers reveals the predictable headlines: a corner-turning result, a statement victory, and a step out of the darkness. But the darkness is still waiting for them. It’s waiting at home against St. Mirren this weekend, at Pittodrie midweek, and in the League Cup semi-final just around the corner in a fortnight’s time.
Philippe Clement is still very much on the edge of getting his jotters. He knows it. We all know it. The Ibrox fans know it, in spite of their joy at last night.
A solid European performance against a second-rate side isn’t going to save him in the long run. Most Ibrox fans went into last night’s match expecting a comfortable win, even before seeing the Bucharest team sheet. So, to suddenly act as though this result – one they were banking on – signifies some major shift in the team’s fortunes is a bit hard to swallow, isn’t it?
Personally, I find this kind of situation delightful. Real despair doesn’t exist without a flicker of hope, and I relish watching them whip themselves into a frenzy over a single result. I enjoy seeing the media, the manager, the players, and the fans all latch onto this one win as if it signifies something grander. It’s entertaining to see them generate fresh hope and new enthusiasm, only for it to crumble spectacularly in due course.
That’s what ultimately leads to the despair – and it’s that despair we relish so much. If they didn’t constantly fuel themselves with this false hope, they wouldn’t feel such crushing disappointment time and again. They do this to themselves.
They are, without a doubt, their own worst enemies. No one else inflicts as much pain on them as they do on themselves. And, once again, they’re on the same destructive path.
Nothing fundamental has changed last night.
They remain six points behind Celtic and Aberdeen in the league. This is a club that can barely sustain a lengthy European campaign alongside its domestic commitments with the current squad depth. Their next two Europa League fixtures are potential disasters waiting to happen, where humiliation is just as likely as a routine defeat.
But their more immediate and pressing challenges lie in the domestic fixtures, where they cannot afford any slip-ups. This is where their real weakness is exposed, where the danger genuinely lies.
Clement would have faced significant pressure if they’d lost last night, yes – real, serious, unforgiving pressure. But a defeat wouldn’t have cost him his job. He could have scraped by, even if the scrutiny increased. But the death sentence is still looming, and when it does come, it’ll happen here, on home turf in Scotland.
It could even unfold as early as next Wednesday night.
Because if they head to Pittodrie and end up leaving nine points adrift of both Celtic and Aberdeen, how does he survive that?
Such a disaster would shake the club to its core, and Clement would likely be shown the door within a short time of the full-time whistle. For the fourth time in a row, they’ll be hunting for a new manager by November.
Last night bought a little temporary respite for a guy and a club under pressure. But whilst the narrative of crisis is on pause, the crisis itself is not. That club is still in real bother and its manager still stands on the brink. It’s just a matter of time.
Perfect article and ascertation of these ‘peepil’ James…
Had one on the blower last night saying they were ‘gunning’ for us ‘this time’ –
Just how the fuck do they cope when it all goes ‘Pete Tong’
Ach well – The Scummy’s will tell them that it’s all rosy again tomorrow…
Until tomorrow comes that is…
Still anything to get that wee soothing and warm comforting blanket for the wee lambs !
As usual and the inevitability that they NEVER learn from, will be the reality check from the first ‘good’ side they dae come up against. Although, don’t expect them tae learn from the next dose either.