Dessers and Balogun set to have new manager at Rangers

Super Eagles and Rangers players Leon Balogun and Cyriel Kolawole Dessers are set to have a new manager after their current boss, Philippe Clement, was dismissed by the club.

The Belgian manager took charge of Rangers in October 2023 and spent 16 months at the club. During his time, he won 55 matches, drew 18, and lost 16, giving him a 64.1% win rate with an average of 2.1 points per game.

Although these statistics seem good, they do not tell the whole story. Clement lost the league title and League Cup to rivals Celtic last season. This season, Rangers are 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers have shown inconsistent form this season, which led to growing concerns about Clement’s future. However, the club decided to part ways with him after their 2-0 defeat to St Mirren yesterday.

After the loss, Clement said: “I am not thinking about those questions. I’m focused on finding solutions to get Rangers back to the level they should be. I’m not into hypothetical questions. Everyone saw the team was nervous today. Maybe they were trying too hard to impress the fans. We need to look at the root of the problem and talk to the team about it. In the end, it’s my responsibility to get them in the right mindset for the match.”

He added: “I can only apologise to the Rangers fans. This is not the standard we expect from the team. I will keep fighting until the end and work to improve the team’s mindset.”

Rangers are already looking for an interim manager, according to Sky Sports.

Previously, Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart had supported Clement after their exit from the Scottish Cup against Queen’s Park. Just last week, Stewart pointed to the club’s progress in the Europa League as a reason for keeping Clement on, but his time at the club has now ended.

After the defeat to St Mirren, former Rangers striker Kris Boyd called for Clement’s dismissal, saying: “He has to go now. It’s been declining for months. There’s no structure to anything, and that starts from the top.”

Reports from the Liverpool Echo suggest that Rangers are planning to replace Clement with their former manager, Steven Gerrard. Gerrard, who is currently without a job after being fired from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq last month, had a successful spell at Ibrox. He led Rangers to their first league title in ten years, going unbeaten and stopping Celtic from winning their 10th consecutive title.