Philippe Clement sacked by Rangers after St Mirren loss with club 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership | Football News

Rangers have sacked manager Philippe Clement after 16 months in charge.

It follows a home loss to St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership that leaves the club 13 points behind leaders Celtic with 11 games to go.

That result came just weeks after Rangers’ hopes of winning domestic silverware this season were all but ended following a shock 1-0 Scottish Cup defeat at home to Championship side Queen’s Park, with the Gers having already lost the League Cup final to their Old Firm rivals.

Clement does, however, leave with Rangers through to the last 16 of the Europa League.

“Rangers Football Club can confirm it has tonight parted company with men’s first-team manager, Philippe Clement,” the club said in a statement on Sunday night.

“The club would like to put on record their sincere thanks to Philippe for his hard work and dedication during his spell in charge. A further update from the club will follow in due course.”

The decision to sack the Belgian comes around seven months after handing the 50-year-old a new one-year contract extension – and just weeks after the club appointed Clement’s new assistant Issame Charai.

Speaking earlier on Sunday before Rangers took the decision to sack Clement, Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd said: “Find an interim, put him in charge between now and the end of the season. He has to go right now.

“We’re used to him coming out with excuses, he just looked defeated on Saturday, you just feel as if it’s time up. It needs to be done now – I’ve been saying this for months. This has been on the decline for months.

“You only need to look at the players, who need to shoulder some of the responsibility, but there is no style of play.

“There is no structure to anything they do and that’s from the top down.”

Backed in January, sacked in February

Only last month Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart backed Clement, despite growing pressure from supporters.

The former Manchester United chief – who took up his role in the Ibrox boardroom in December – admitted it would have been “the easy decision” to sack the Belgian following frustration from fans.

He insisted his own time at Old Trafford proved constant managerial change is not effective but did warn Clement results must improve with no “cast-iron guarantees” offered.

Stewart backed Clement again a week after the Queen’s Park defeat but with results not improving enough, Clement has been dismissed.

Rangers are seven weeks into a “root and branch review of the entire football department” which is being led by external experts. Meanwhile, the board are also in talks with the San Francisco 49ers over a multi-million-pound takeover of the club.

In addition to dealing with matters off the field, Stewart must now lead Rangers’ search for their fifth permanent boss since November 2021.

What went wrong for Clement?

When the former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco boss took over at Ibrox in October 2023, Rangers found themselves seven points adrift of Celtic after a poor start to the season under Michael Beale.

However, his impact was instant. Unbeaten runs lasting 16 games then 14 games – separated only by a defeat to Celtic – saw Rangers draw level at the top of the table, having played a game fewer.

Clement had also secured the League Cup trophy for the first time since 2011, got to the Scottish Cup semis and Europa League last 16.

However, things then took a turn and, in truth, Rangers never really recovered.

A 3-2 defeat at Ross County followed by a draw at Dundee days later saw momentum swing in Celtic’s favour. Rangers lost only two more games last season but they were both against Brendan Rodgers’ side who sealed the league title and Scottish Cup.

The summer was all about Rangers’ “big rebuild” as the club looked to cut wages, reduce the average age of the squad and add key players to help challenge Celtic this season.

Working alongside now-technical director Nils Koppen, 11 players were signed and 16 departed – including high-profile stars like Connor Goldson, Ryan Jack, Borna Barisic and John Lundstram.

Clement said his task was much bigger than the “small renovation” facing Celtic – but he knew fans still expected results. However, unlike his first few months in the job, Rangers did not produce those results consistently enough.

A goalless draw in their Scottish Premiership opener away to Hearts was a sign of things to come, while defeat to Dynamo Kyiv ended their Champions League hopes.

Clement’s side would go on to drop 32 Premiership points from 48 on the road as they lost at Celtic Park, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen.

Another defeat to Celtic in the League Cup final plus more dropped points away to St Mirren, Motherwell, Hibernian and Dundee saw 2024 end on a low.

There were some signs of promise along the way, including a first Old Firm win for Clement, a draw against Spurs and progress to the Europa League last 16.

Clement said he would not quit after that shock 1-0 defeat to Championship club Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup. However, after months of pressure, the decision was taken out of his hands as Rangers parted company with another manager.

Who could replace Clement?

It is a movie Rangers fans have seen all too often in recent years as the search for a new manager begins.

If the previous four times are anything to go by there will be a lot of names linked. Truth be told, that speculation started months ago.

Steven Gerrard – who led Rangers to their last Scottish Premiership title in 2021 – is now a free agent after leaving his job at Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia. The former Liverpool captain was the last manager to win the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 and will be someone fans want to see back at Ibrox, like ex-midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, who has impressed at Hajduk Split.

Former treble-winning Gers defender Kevin Muscat was interviewed for the job last time out and will no doubt be in the frame again. Since 2023 he has added to his league title wins in Australia and Japan with a top-flight crown in China at Shanghai Port.

Closer to home, Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes‘ name is always on the lips of supporters. The former Ibrox player once turned the job down in 2017 but continues to attract admirers.

Following their promotion from the Championship, he led Killie to fourth last season and European football, with a top-six finish still on the cards in this campaign despite a tricky start.

Former Gers defender Russell Martin could also be in the frame and is out of work, following his sacking by Southampton last year.

When appointing Clement, former chair John Bennett and ex-CEO James Bisgrove led the search. They described it as a “carefully planned and comprehensive recruitment process”.

This time around, Stewart, Thornton and co know they cannot afford to get it wrong and help the club to break this cycle of continual managerial upheaval.

Rangers’ upcoming fixtures:

• February 26: Kilmarnock (A) – Scottish Premiership, live on Sky Sports
• March 1: Motherwell (H) – Scottish Premiership
• March 6: Fenerbahce (A) – Europa League last-16
• March 13: Fenerbahce (H) – Europa League last-16
• March 16: Celtic (A) – Scottish Premiership, live on Sky Sports