The Ibrox manager pledged his allegiance yesterday. If they want him gone it’s going to cost them.

Yesterday, sitting in front of the press, Philippe Clement was asked about reports that have linked him to the job as Belgian national coach. Remember those? We’ve spent the week laughing at them.

Well, he gave an answer that was so crazy in its own way that I laughed out loud when I read it because it’s just as mad as the claims themselves, and I knew how shattered the average Ibrox supporter would be upon hearing it. Not only has he refuted the Belgium rumour, but he’s refuting all future talk that he might leave the club.

Wonderful. Music to our ears.

I sometimes wonder if these guys know when they are being talked about. I sometimes wonder if any of them read the media as obsessively as some of us do, or are they smart enough to keep it all at arms-length so that they can at least function on a minimal level.

And hearing him talk yesterday, I now know for a fact that Clement does follow it all. He knows every word that is being said and written about him. I don’t know whether he obsesses over it, or if he’s too arrogant even for that, but he knows all of it, he’s following the vibe and he knows full well then that the speculation about him is rife, across all media.

He’s sent out a very clear message to his club, and to the hacks; forget mad notions of him moving somewhere else or wanting to. He’s sticking with Ibrox, he’s committed to the cause, he’s going nowhere at all. He is pledging his loyalty like a newly appointed caporegime kissing the ring of the Don. And this is two messages for the price of one, of course.

Because what he’s actually saying is “you guys want rid of me, you’re going to have to sack me.” That’s why it’s gone down like a lead weight amongst the fans. This isn’t a guy talking about being around for years and leading them to glory at all, he’s spelling out in the clearest possible terms that if they want shot of him it’s going to be expensive.

Just what they needed to hear, right? Just what they wanted in their Christmas stocking; another big bill when they finally decide that this guy has to go. But he’s not going quietly, he’s going to go kicking and screaming and he’s going to do it via the bank.

What a mess they have gotten themselves into giving this guy a new contract at the start of the season. I think we can safely say that all the talk that he had signed a deal which made him easier to get rid of is as much rubbish as we said when people were attempting to spin it that way. It was a story with about as much credibility as Hugh Keevins.

So, no move back home for Clement. His country will not be calling and he won’t take their call even if they do. He is the happiest manager in football apparently. He has fallen in love with the Ibrox operation and all in it. Remember when their fans used to love it when people talked that talk? This time they all want him to shut up and get packing.

What a mess they are over there. He is holding all the cards and he knows it, and he’s made it clear that if they want him out of the game it’s going to cost them big time. I love it.