Philippe Clement has been dismissed as Rangers manager after 16 months in charge, following back-to-back home defeats that proved too damaging to withstand. The Belgian had been under intense scrutiny since Rangers’ shock Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Queen’s Park two weeks ago, and a first home loss to St Mirren since 1991 on Saturday sealed his fate.
Rangers are currently 13 points behind Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership, with hopes of a domestic trophy now gone. Clement’s departure comes amid ongoing discussions regarding a multimillion-pound investment from a US-led consortium that includes Paraag Marathe, president of 49ers Enterprises and chairman of Leeds United.
A club statement released on Sunday evening confirmed the decision: “Rangers Football Club can confirm it has tonight parted company with men’s first-team manager, Philippe Clement. 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.”
Clement took charge in October 2023, replacing Michael Beale, and quickly delivered success by winning the League Cup two months into his tenure. He briefly steered Rangers back into the title race last season, but they ultimately finished eight points behind Celtic. His early momentum proved difficult to maintain, and this season’s performances have fallen well short of expectations.
Although he guided Rangers to the last 16 of the Europa League, where they are set to face Fenerbahce next month, the team’s domestic form has been their undoing. In the league, away performances have been a particular weakness, with just five wins from 13 matches on the road. Their relatively strong home form had helped maintain their position in second place, but consecutive Ibrox defeats shattered any lingering confidence in the manager’s ability to turn things around.
Patrick Stewart, the club’s recently appointed chief executive, had publicly backed Clement on two occasions, but the last two results made his position untenable. Saturday’s 2-0 loss to St Mirren was the breaking point, with Clement himself acknowledging the display as “by far the worst I’ve seen in all the time I’ve been here.”
Despite early signs of promise, Clement’s tenure ultimately faltered under the weight of expectation and poor domestic results. Now, Rangers must move quickly to find a replacement as they aim to salvage what remains of their campaign.
