Fear & Loathing In Motherwell: “He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy …”

Looking back many years from now, football historians may well conclude that it was a team selection that did it.

Before our game today, my friend Jonny and I had a chat about squad rotation and how successful it’s been for us this season. Jokingly, I asked him how many players he thought Clement would rest away to Motherwell. He said it wouldn’t be many because they didn’t have 11 good players.

I asked him if he meant 11 good backup players or just 11 good players in general. He looked at me as if I’d gone mad because, really, the question was a little stupid. Of course, he didn’t mean 11 good backup players—he meant 11 good players in total.

And yet Clement made seven changes to his starting lineup today.

Seven changes for a game they absolutely had to win. Let’s face it, not winning today was as damaging as not winning on Thursday would be. The result leaves them even further adrift, with Thursday’s match rendered almost meaningless by the size of the points and goal difference gap, even if they win.

From talk a week ago of cutting the gap to six points, the best they can do now is cut it to 11. When football historians look back on the moment that definitively doomed Philippe Clement, they may well conclude it was this lineup, this afternoon at Motherwell, that sealed his fate.

Of course, it won’t be the only reason, but it’s another brick in the wall of evidence against Clement remaining as manager. It’s another brick in the wall of evidence suggesting their board is crazy to keep him in place even one minute longer.

This won’t surprise anyone of a Celtic persuasion. We’re all convinced they’re half-mad for retaining him this long. Somehow, he dodged a bullet after the cup final, largely because they didn’t lose heavily. The reaction to that game has been astonishing; they turned it into some kind of moral victory, even as Celtic paraded the silverware around the stadium.

It speaks to a general mentality at that club—the embrace of the hard-luck story, the conspiracy theory, and anything that excuses their long line of second-place finishes. When that’s the prevailing attitude, it’s no wonder the whole place reeks of failure. The whole place reeks of being a loser.

Standing on the touchline at Fir Park today, Philippe Clement looked very much like a man who wishes it was over. I admire him for sticking it out, for not walking away from the money. That’s the only reason he hasn’t gone already—he can net a small fortune for failure.

Let’s talk about fear—the only reason Clement hasn’t been sacked yet. What exactly is it that they fear at Ibrox? Are the finances so bad they can’t afford to pay off a failing manager? How do they think they’ll sell season tickets at the end of the campaign if this guy stays in charge until summer?

Common sense dictates he should have been fired already. He’s a busted flush. His team selection today was ludicrous, and for the second match running, he had to make halftime substitutions. It undermines those players and makes him look utterly lost, like a man making it up as he goes along and praying for a miracle.

But you can tell he knows the miracle won’t come. He talks about building something, about progress, but deep down he knows he won’t be around to see it. He’s just waiting for the inevitable.

We talked midweek about the fear among Ibrox fans—the fear that they may never see their side challenge Celtic again. That fear is real. In the short term, they look at their club and don’t understand it anymore. They don’t understand why it lacks the conviction to act. They don’t understand why the board can’t find the money to do what’s necessary—or step aside for people who can.

Part of it is that they believe there’s always someone waiting in the wings to solve their problems. Part of it is that they still buy into every lie about how special their club is. They’re oblivious to the fact that it’s not even the same club many of them grew up supporting. Even if it was, they are so insular and so unappealing to outsiders that they are doomed to this fate. The hint should have been that no-one came running to the rescue of Rangers; why would anyone bail out this apocalyptic disaster of a club?

Tonight, the loathing among their support is off the charts. Go and dip into those forums if you don’t believe me. It’s astonishing. Fear and loathing have merged into one ugly emotion over there. It’s chaos, but it’s also fun to watch.

What’s most amusing is how quickly things have unravelled. Seven days ago, their fans were talking about cutting the gap, about winning at Ibrox, and putting us under real pressure. Some of them thought Clement’s vision was finally being realised. Seven days later, the picture is very different.

He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy.

It’s also clear that he’s either deeply delusional or playing a very smart game. If he believes in all this talk about getting time and building the squad he’s crazy and I would not want a crazy man running our club.

If he doesn’t believe it – and I suspect he’s too smart not to know the truth – he’s just a man going through the motions, waiting for his big fat payoff cheque.

I’d like to think he’ll stay forever, but soon enough, Brendan Rodgers will have another managerial scalp in his sights.