Rangers CEO sticking with Philippe Clement despite ‘disastrous’ cup exit
Chief executive Patrick Stewart insists his decision to “stick with the plan” has kept Philippe Clement in the hot seat at Rangers following a shameful and “disastrous” loss to Queen’s Park.
The stunning 1-0 Scottish Gas Scottish Cup defeat by the William Hill Championship side in the fifth round at Ibrox on February 9 left the Belgian boss, who took over at Ibrox in October 2023, under intense pressure.
The prospect of domestic success this season has all but disappeared albeit the Light Blues are in the last 16 of the Europa League.
The Govan club are in the middle of an overall review of football operations which is being carried out by an outside source and while Stewart admitted the cup defeat was “a source of shame”, he reiterated his long-term plans for the club.
Stewart told Rangers’ official YouTube channel: “I am going back to what I said in January.
“We have been underperforming for several seasons now and that’s not down to a manager. We have changed the manager and it has not made a difference.
“What I’m doing now is looking at the root causes of it. Until we sort those root causes, then it’s akin to trying to fix a broken house and starting with the ceiling instead of starting with the root foundations.
“For all that the Queen’s Park result was disastrous, we do also have to give credit to Philippe and the team for the Europa League run.
“We had a really tough draw. Four of the top eight we played against and we finished in the top eight. So they deserve real credit for that.
“I don’t want to take a step that would put further progress in the Europa League at risk.
“That’s another reason why we continue to keep Philippe in this role.
“I’m not here to make popular decisions and get quick wins. I do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past.
“I’m not going to do that. I’ve got to keep real discipline and focus on making sure that we are making the right decisions in the right order for the long term benefit of the club, and not knee-jerk reacting to what was, frankly, a disastrous result.
“I’m not trying to duck from that, but we’ve got to stick to the plan.
“We are all judged on results. There are no free passes here but we are sticking to the plan and are going to be incredibly disciplined about that because we have not always been that in the past.”
On the defeat by Queen’s Park which has had wide-reaching ramifications at Ibrox, Stewart confirmed his distress.
He said: “I don’t want anyone to doubt the gravity of the result and how I view the result.
“You can’t sugarcoat it – it was disastrous.
“Historically it is obviously a significant moment. It is the first time we have gone out to lower-league opposition in the Scottish Cup (at home).
“That’s a source of shame for the club. It was a really good opportunity to win a trophy and that is now gone.
“It has impacted everyone at the club. It has impacted morale and serious questions have been asked. It’s a massive blow.”