Stupid, Stupid Peepul: Phillipe Clement

Today, the Ibrox club is riding yet another wave of overblown optimism, high on the Hopeium. In the media’s eyes, a single victory has “transformed” them, as if overnight they’ve become something else entirely. It’s amazing to me that they keep falling for this. Absolutely astonishing.

We’ve talked about this, we’ve written about it, and we’ve all seen it happen over and over.

Every single time, we watch this euphoria bloom out of a solitary result, setting them up for yet another inevitable tumble. How many times does it take for the message to sink in? It’s like a record stuck on a repeat. Their supporters get giddy over one game, only to come crashing back down later on.

I watched their game yesterday, and they weren’t brilliant. In that second half, Motherwell sat back, inviting them to take control. They barely put up resistance, hanging back and hoping to catch them on the counter. But other teams won’t sit back like that.

Other sides will have the guts to go toe-to-toe with them, and Motherwell should have trusted more in their ability to do it, especially in a cup semi-final, where even though they knew they’d be facing us if they want a shot at silverware they should have chased it. Sitting back and letting the Ibrox team run the game isn’t going to work for anyone genuinely targeting a trophy.

So, what exactly do they think they saw yesterday that justifies today’s confidence? Cup Final day is a long way off, and they’ll endure plenty of reality checks before then. By the time it arrives, they’ll probably realise that all the hope they’re basking in now was wishful thinking.

And the statements from their players—their “vote of confidence” in the manager—are almost laughable. The press, of course, eats it up, but these endorsements mean nothing. We’ve seen it all before. Teams on the verge of imploding come out with the same lines, claiming unity, even as the cracks are there for all to see. It’s as empty as a boardroom’s “vote of confidence” in a struggling boss. If anything, it hints at how fragile things actually are.

Some of the press conference comments were downright ridiculous. They talked about “pulling together.” Well, what exactly were they doing before? They mentioned being “motivated to win every game.” As if that’s something revolutionary. They even went on about understanding the demands of a club that “expects success.” Is that somehow unique? This isn’t groundbreaking stuff—it’s the bare minimum you’d expect from any professional side.

This was a classic case of politician-speak, all platitudes and buzzwords, short on meaning and lighter on substance. Does any of it say anything new? Not at all. If they were really committed to the manager, to the cause, and if they truly understood the club’s expectations, they wouldn’t need to talk about it. They’d be doing it on the pitch. So, here’s the big question: why weren’t they?

The manager’s statements were no better. He’s out there talking about “benchmark matches,” as if he’s just now realised the need to set a standard. Now he’s ready to shift gears—nine points adrift of two teams in the league? The nerve of calling yesterday a “turning point” after such a scrappy, unconvincing performance is astonishing.

What’s more amazing is that it’s not only the media buying into this. I checked their fan forums earlier, and it is clear many supporters have jumped back on the bandwagon. Just days ago, they were calling for his head. Now, they’re giving him another chance, convinced he “just needs time” to prove his worth. Time? They’ve been fed the same line repeatedly since the start of the season.

Donald Trump makes more sense than this guy does. He was just 45 minutes away from the sack yesterday, and he knows it, and there’s a reason why most managers in that spot keep a low profile. After a win like that, you say you’re taking it one game at a time, that you’re happy with the result but there’s room to improve. Instead, he’s out there making bold declarations, talking about how this will be remembered as the season’s turning point, that it’s the statement victory. I read that and thought, “What are you thinking, man?”

And that’s why he’s the second entry in the “Stupid, Stupid Peepul” series; Philippe Clement himself. Maybe he genuinely believes he’s a tactical genius, that he worked some magic in the dressing room. But their own goalkeeper has admitted that the supposed “unity” came from other players speaking up, demanding more. Clement was, by his own admission, preaching calm. If I were in his position, I’d have kept my head down, made no promises, and quietly enjoyed the relief. It’s absurd to indulge in grand talk when your neck is still in the noose.

Yet here he is, doing what he does best: handing his critics and opponents a hostage to fortune. He’s made promises he can’t hope to keep. Why do that? Why talk big after scraping through a game where, let’s be honest, the performance was anything but convincing?

The media, of course, is only too eager to amplify it.

They love a redemption arc, and they’ll build him up because it makes a better story. They’ll hand out the Hopeium and even take a hit of it themselves. They’ll play along, buying into the narrative of a “reborn” manager and a “rejuvenated” team. But the reality is staring us all in the face. This isn’t a club that’s turned a corner. It’s a club running on the same old delusions, encouraged by people who should know better but somehow don’t.

Clearly it will take another reality check for the penny to drop, another deflating loss, another reminder that there’s a gulf between their hopes and their abilities. Because for all the talk of “unity” and “pulling together,” there’s only one thing that truly unites them: a shared fixation on short-term relief and a belief that, somehow, they’re always just one step away from greatness. And that belief will keep them chasing shadows.

They will have that reality check too, of course. If they get as far as cup final day without it – and I doubt they will; it’ll come way before that – we will, of course, be happy to provide it for them.

In the end, this cycle of euphoria and despair will keep rolling on, and we’ll be here to watch it unfold. For now, though, the latest episode has only just begun, starring Clement and his overblown confidence and that guarantees just one thing; the story he’s telling today will come back to haunt him tomorrow. What a stupid man.