And so, darkness has fallen over Govan. The crisis has reached full tilt; it can no longer be contained. It’s as good as over. They might drag it out for a few more days or weeks, but for all intents and purposes, it’s done. If he’s still in the job 14 days from now, he’ll face us in the Cup Final. The thought of him leading them into that match is inconceivable.
I can’t say I’m thrilled about this development, as it’s hard to imagine how he survives it. Frankly, it would have suited us fine to see him in the dugout at Hampden. But can anyone really believe they’ll line up for that game with him still in charge? I genuinely think today marked the end of Philippe Clement’s reign.
Their fans are in uproar, with an AGM looming next week. There’s no way they can put him at the top table without sparking chaos. We’re likely witnessing his final days in charge—if not the final hours. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s gone by the weekend. And forget the post-match commentary suggesting they “dominated” today; results are all that matter. He’s not getting them, and he’s not going to.
As fans, we recognise the signs when our team teeters on the brink. It’s not subtle. It’s not deniable. It’s glaringly obvious. They are in deep trouble, and there’s no escaping it. Clement is out of his depth, and I’m not sure he even knows where to start.
Some will cling to certain aspects of today’s performance. They brought on Hagi and Danilo at half-time, swapping out Dessers and Diomande. Some might argue these changes offer a way forward and give them hope of salvaging something from the season. Yes, they clawed back a point on Aberdeen, who lost in Paisley, but the bigger picture remains grim.
Aberdeen’s next three fixtures—Hibs away, Hearts away, and Celtic at home—might give Ibrox a chance to improve their position in the race for second. But the reality is, the only team that truly matters to them is us. Tonight, we can go 11 points clear. Eleven. Before December has even begun. If we pull that off, the shadow of the Cup Final will loom even larger over their club. I cannot imagine Clement surviving long enough to manage that match. As things stand, it wouldn’t even be a contest. It could be a rout—the kind of result that leaves scars and ends careers.
Days like this were inevitable. We all saw it coming, and so did their fans. Tonight, they’ll trudge out of the stadium, not buoyed by Aberdeen’s loss or hopeful of Hearts doing them a favour later. They’re looking at their own mess of a club, and no external results will help. They’ve finally realised the depth of their predicament, and there’s no delusion left to cling to.
This is the kind of dark place no club ever wants to reach: a point where change is critical but the cost of that change risks the future. Ideally, they’d stick with him for another year, push forward with behind-the-scenes reforms, and steady the ship. But that scenario has been obliterated. He’s finished. The most impatient fans in football have run out of patience. They’ve seen the future, and it looks too much like the present they want to escape.
Even so, sacking him might not help. It’ll cost money they can’t afford, throw January into turmoil, and leave next season’s planning in chaos. Any successor will inherit a daunting job and the very real prospect of a catastrophic start: a Cup Final and a crucial league game against us, both with this fractured, dispirited squad. Who but a madman would take that on?
This is a club struggling to find a chairman, a CEO, or even a competent director of football. Finding a coach willing to step into this mess won’t be any easier. While a few names might come to mind, it’s unclear if any of them would be foolish enough to take the role.
The board can spin all the promises they like—funds in January, a big summer rebuild—to sell season tickets and generate headlines. But any incoming manager will need the unvarnished truth about their dire financial situation. That truth has already leaked out to select media over the past year. They are broke. They are powerless against the Celtic juggernaut, and whoever comes next will need to grasp that harsh reality immediately.
Not exactly a dream job, is it?
And so, here we are at the breaking point. Decisions must be made—before the AGM, certainly before the Hampden final. As for Clement, I can’t see him lasting. He can’t show up at the AGM and expect anything other than hostility. Nor can the board sit beside him and expect anything different. They lack the backbone for such a confrontation.
The fear is palpable. The loathing is real. For the fourth consecutive year, they’ll start December with a new man at the helm. That club is going nowhere but down.
Admin Alert….
It’s the only way they can afford to sack him. From what was reported earlier he is due the full outstanding balance of his Contract.He won’t accept piecemeal annual payment a la Van Bronckhorst or Beale. The only way forward is Admin. Shed the debts, the obscenely inflated Player Contracts and any residual ‘Onerous Contracts’ and try and start again.
As it is they are trading while Insolvent and any request by significant Commercial Creditors or Directors recalling their ‘soft loans’ will precipitate the end.
No hiding place now.
When the Axe does come for the Belgian waffler,
How many managers would that have been that BR has seen off at Ibrox….answers on a postcard
Postcards don’t come that big
Ha Ha Ha !
Ma false teeth at the top only nearly fell out reading that SFATHENADIROFCHIFTINESS !!!
Pleeeeeezzzzzzzze – Let Fillipe Fillop be in the dug out for The League Cup Final !
They have got Spurs & Ange who have just annihilated Man City 4 nil this evening 3 days before the cup final. Imagine they lose heavily at Ibrox before going to Hampden and being on the receiving end of another drubbing! Maybe they should let Clement take the fall for those two games, remember a win in the LC will see us overtake the lie in terms of trophies won, much better to let the hapless Belgium carry the can for that and then sack him than have a new boss being immediately saddled with the blame for us overtaking them.
They won’t sack him until February so they won’t have to give a new manager funds in January or make excuses why they can’t. I just seen the highlights from their game, Butland… hahaha. Even the next genius manager they hire is flogging a dead zombie. Maybe Clement will consider taking that Belgium offer and there’ll probably be a bidding war for Tavernier in Saudi, maybe that guy that fills all the boardroom positions when people leave can do the managers job too?
They are a total shambles. Just watched sportcene for the first time in ages. Steven Thompson signed off the show with “Rangers draw closes the gap on Aberdeen” I maybe laughed a little too much.
Noticed naebrain naysmith with his ibrokes roots sitting on the sofa , closed shop for Huns is what that idiotic programme is .
Remember when they won the league cup they were all callin it the clemmont ‘juggernaut’ ?!………..Next !
I watched the Dundee utd highlights.
The Crumbledome was empty, must have taken a big hit on the concession stands .
Income from those must be a pittance, spurs and us will destroy those feckers, alleged supporters will desert them in droves , only full house might be us at their gaff but hope it’s empty and they make a loss .
The more cash they haemorrhage the quicker will be their last breath.
Popcorn followed by jelly n ice cream.
Num num num
You’ve nailed it Mr Magoo. There’s one side of my family who are, and always have been, the staunchest and most bigoted orange huns you’re ever likely to meet and when I mention football to them now, all of a sudden they don’t have time for it. Aye Right! They’re suffering from anxiety and going into classic avoidance mode. It won’t be long until it establishes itself permanently. This is when they die… again.
Same on my side buddy.
Fam who are in the ludge and have Bern since they were kids .. one of my sisters kids got pulled up by babysitter fit using the F word when she was about 6 Yr old.
She told babysitter her dad said it was OK as long as she was saying FTP.
I was appalled and still am with that my side of the family.
Cretins and morons
Truly is the perfect storm over at ibrokes, it’s brilliant isn’t it , and there’s so much more to come , the best soap opera ever.
Is it only the manager they’d need to pay off, or also his reputed 21 backroom staff?