Clement tells Ibrox “I won’t do walking away (without my money.)”

Before we get into harsher matters and the next part of the postmortem from last night, it would be remiss of me not to comment on a story from across the city. It broke just before fans started heading to our game.

I held off writing about it to keep the focus on us, but let’s be honest—it’s a story that needs to be written, deserves to be written, and it’s an important one too.

Philippe Clement spoke to the media and made it clear that he will not walk away from the Ibrox club. Presumably, this was partly in response to fresh rumours linking him to the Belgium job. But it was also tied to a question he was asked about comments he made at his last press conference, where he described feeling like he was “alone in the desert.” He was directly asked if he’s ever considered resigning.

I have no doubt that some in that media room were rubbing their hands together at the thought he might admit to it. I can only imagine the disappointment on their faces when he said what every Celtic fan wanted to hear: “I will never walk away from this club.”

Not without his money, anyway.

That, I think, was the real message. This wasn’t a heartfelt expression of loyalty or love for the club. It was aimed squarely at the mob calling for his head. Clement’s message to them? “I’m not leaving unless you write me a very large cheque.”

What else did people expect? They gave him the contract, then extended it. And, if I’m reading the signs correctly (and I’ve no doubt that I am), this is a man who walked into the job expecting more money to spend. He thought he was joining a club that was stable and well-run, not one permanently stuck in chaos.

When he talked about feeling like he was “alone in the desert,” what do you think that meant?

It was a swipe at the very people running the club. Those comments were aimed at those who left him stranded with little more than his own self-doubts for company.

It wasn’t hard to see this coming. When he said after one of their defeats that he hadn’t heard from the board and hadn’t spoken to them about his position, it was clear they were avoiding him. They had abandoned him to his fate.

If the current chief executive is more communicative and inclined to back him, then yes, Clement probably does feel better now. But the underlying message to the people who hired him is crystal clear: he hasn’t forgotten, and he certainly hasn’t forgiven them for leaving him high and dry. And even if there wasn’t a significant sum of money at stake, I doubt he’d go out of his way to make their lives any easier.

They’ve got a problem, and they’re not getting off lightly. Clement couldn’t have been clearer about his intentions. Sure, he’s smart enough to dress it all up as loyalty, devotion, and a desire to fight for the club.

But the reality? He’s not going anywhere without a payday. And why should he? They didn’t have to extend his contract at the start of the season—it was a mad decision, and he’s taken full advantage of it.

The last few weeks have thoroughly destroyed one of the more bizarre stories which was being pushed by some in the media: that his new deal somehow made it easier to sack him. According to this mad theory, he got more money upfront but negotiated down his severance package. If that had been true, he’d have been out the door weeks, if not months, ago.

Where does the media get this nonsense? Why do so many believe it? It’s like the Malik Tillman saga we highlighted the other day, a pure fabrication. It was so obviously fiction that it’s staggering anyone believed it, let alone wrote about it.

No agent in the world would let their client sign a contract extension that made it easier to sack them. The idea is laughable.

And every journalist who wrote that story must have known it was rubbish. But they printed it anyway, just to give the Ibrox fans a sliver of hope.

Yesterday, Clement himself tore that hope to shreds. If they want him gone, they’ll have to compensate him handsomely.

And that will hurt them far more than it will hurt him.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Last night we released our latest podcast episode. In light of events across town we called it Sack The Board! Please check it out and share it if you enjoy it! Help us grow and get even better!