'total Chaos' - Clement Reflects On 'frustrating' Rangers Stint

Champions League 3rd qualifying information first leg: Rangers v Viktoria Plzen

Venue: Ibrox Date: Tuesday, 5 August Kick-off: 19:45 BST

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Former Rangers head Philippe Clement says his clip astatine Ibrox was hamstrung by "total chaos" astatine boardroom level.

The Belgian coach succeeded Michael Beale successful October 2023 and won nan League Cup later that season.

He besides overhauled Celtic astatine nan acme of nan Scottish Premiership during his first play successful charge, only to suffer against Motherwell, Ross County and Celtic themselves during nan run-in, missing retired connected nan title by 8 points.

Celtic besides pipped them to nan Scottish Cup acknowledgment to a last-minute Adam Idah goal.

Clement's first summertime successful complaint was past characterised by upheaval disconnected nan pitch.

Chief executive James Bisgrove near for a domiciled successful nan Middle East, president John Bennett stepped down for wellness reasons and Rangers started nan play astatine Hampden Park because of a precocious shipment of materials for improvement useful connected nan Copland Stand astatine Ibrox.

"That's nan frustration, nan frustrating portion of nan story," Clement told BBC Scotland's Sacked successful nan Morning podcast.

"The first 7 months, everybody was really happy astir what happened successful nan club. There was a large change.

"But aft that, a batch of things changed successful nan nine and it became rather chaotic.

"I ne'er had a nine aliases saw a nine wherever you don't person each these positions filled during a play for six aliases 7 months. So a batch of things happened."

Clement was disappointment by a deficiency of connection from those successful elder positions arsenic he was near to reside questions astir nan club's off-field issues.

He says discussions were had complete nan summertime astir nan semipermanent task required to return connected Celtic, but feels nan committee were unwilling to definitive that to supporters.

"They said we cognize we don't person nan money that Celtic has for nan moment," Clement added.

"It was rather an aged squad. So we cognize we're going to request four, five, possibly six transportation windows to summation money and to adjacent this spread pinch Celtic.

"And it starts pinch getting young players in, create them, make them amended and waste them to build nan nine again wherever it should be.

"I deliberation nan committee was acrophobic to opportunity these things towards nan fans because they were already very angry astir nan stadium issue.

"I was nan only 1 speaking successful nan nine because location was cipher immoderate more."

The nine has since been taken complete by a US-based consortium led by backstage healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, but Clement feels that instability astatine nan apical of nan nine was a basal logic down Celtic's on-field power during his clip astatine Rangers.

"There was a large quality astir everything astir nan team, moreover possibly a bigger quality than connected nan pitch," he said, erstwhile asked astir nan spread betwixt nan Old Firm clubs.

"In preparation, successful everything astir nan club, Celtic is overmuch much organised than Rangers.

"And I was location for judge successful these 7 months wherever location was full chaos astatine Rangers."

Clement was dismissed successful February 2025 pursuing a convention conclusion by St Mirren, a consequence which near Rangers 13 points down Celtic.

He had besides suffered a humiliating Scottish Cup exit astatine nan hands of Championship broadside Queen's Park earlier that month.

The erstwhile Belgium defender revealed that he was informed of nan determination by journalists earlier nan nine relieved him of his duties, an incident which angered him.

"It felt really empty," Clement said. "I was besides angry that infinitesimal because each nan journalists knew earlier me.

"I sewage a batch of messages from Scotland, England and Belgium even, earlier I get a connection from nan club, truthful I was not happy pinch that. That's not good.

"I told them besides that it was wholly disrespectful, that moment.

"But I felt really quiet because you build thing together successful your afloat time and nighttime pinch everything successful nan club.

"And I had to do overmuch much than you usually should do arsenic a head successful nan months earlier erstwhile these positions were not filled in."