Clement upgrade: Rangers could hire 4-3-3 coach as their answer to Rodgers

Suffice to say, this season has not gone as Rangers fans would’ve hoped.

Despite Sunday’s 3-1 win at Tynecastle, securing a fifth consecutive Premiership victory, the Light Blues remain 13 points adrift run-away leaders Celtic, with the title race having felt over before it ever really began.

Meantime, the Gers were beaten on penalties by Celtic in December’s League Cup Final, so are now staring down the barrel of a trophyless season, having been dumped out of the Scottish Cup by Queen’s Park, the club’s first-ever loss in that competition at Ibrox against lower-league opposition.

Thus, the scrutiny on manager Philippe Clement has been ratcheted up beyond the maximum level, hence why speculation surrounding his potential successor has become more widespread, so could it be someone the Rangers support know rather well?

Philippe Clement’s up and down Rangers tenure

When Philippe Clement took over as Rangers manager in October 2023, inheriting a mess from Michael Beale, he had an instantaneous impact.

After less than two months in charge, Clement delivered League Cup glory, beating Aberdeen 1-0 at Hampden, accumulated 28 points from his first ten Premiership matches in charge, and led the Light Blues to the Europa League round of 16, thanks to a famous 3-2 victory over Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarín, a first-ever victory on Spanish soil.

This immediate impact, as noted by Ewan Murray of the Guardian, meant Clement took little time ‘commanding hearts and minds’, with Kenneth Ward of the Herald adding that the team ‘clicked into gear’ straight away, following the Belgian’s appointment.

However, then came the first bump in the road, a 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park, and Clement’s inability to win Old Firm derbies has ultimately defined his tenure, failing to win any of his first six, two of which came in cup finals.

At the back end of last season, shock defeats to Motherwell and Ross County, followed by a miserable goalless draw with Dundee, derailed Rangers’ title bid, ultimately finishing eight points short.

This season began at Hampden, due to delayed renovations of the Copland Stand at Ibrox, with the National Stadium staging a catastrophic defeat in Champions League qualifying at the hands of Dynamo Kyiv and, in truth, the season hasn’t improved much from then on.

The Gers have lost Premiership away games at Celtic, Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Aberdeen so, even though they smashed their fiercest rivals 3-0 in the new year’s derby, this is too little too late, with Ewan Murray of the Guardian describing the result as ‘nowhere near as significant as Rangers would like it to be’.

Many believed the cup exit at the hands of Queen’s Park would signal the end for Clement, with Mark Atkinson of the Scotsman believing ‘most Rangers-minded individuals want him gone’ while, speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club, former Rangers defender Alan Hutton no longer believes he’s the right man to take the club forward.

For now, Clement does remain in charge, but it does seem increasingly unlikely that he’ll still be in situ for the start of next season, with Rangers set to enter the Champions League early at the second qualifying round stage on 22 or 23 July.

So, could his successor be a familiar face to Rangers supporters?

Rangers could land their answer to Brendan Rodgers

As reported by Mark Pirie of the Daily Record, Steven Gerrard could return as Rangers manager, sighting Ally McCoist who, back in 2021, said “it wouldn’t surprise me if Gerrard came back to Ibrox”, while Mick Brown of Football Insider – as he reported back in November – believes he is ‘very much open to [a] Rangers return’.

Gerrard was sacked by Al-Ettifaq in January, with the side 12th in the Saudi Pro League, having previously been sacked by Aston Villa in October 2022 following, as Sam Wallace of the Telegraph puts it, a ‘disastrous’ spell.

However, the 4-3-3 coach was unquestionably a success in his first-ever senior managerial role at Rangers, with former Celtic striker Chris Sutton describing the job he did as “great”, while former Rangers forward Kris Boyd said he will forever “be remembered as the man who stopped ten-in-a-row”.

Both Neil Lennon and current manager Brendan Rodgers have returned to Celtic and won the title, following a previously impressive first spell in Glasgow, so could Rangers pursue a similar strategy?

When comparing Gerrard to Clement, the most noteworthy part is the two manager’s respective win percentages, which are remarkably similar; there’s just 0.13 between the pair.

Gerrard was, of course, in charge for a lot longer, but only earned 0.1 Premiership points-per-game more, while the Englishman’s higher European win percentage is partially inflated by the fact Rangers were entering in very early qualifying rounds back then, facing minnows such as Shkupi, St Joseph’s, Lincoln Red Imps and Progrès Niederkorn.

The difference is a matter of perception; Gerrard took over a total mess and was given time to make mistakes and build a squad capable of winning the title, whereas instant success was demanded of Clement, and he has been unable to deliver.

Would a return to Ibrox for Gerrard make sense for both the manager and the club? They say never go back, yet with Rodgers looking set to steer his side to a second league title in a row, perhaps the Englishman will be keen to follow suit and make the move back to Ibrox.

Related

Clement can save himself from the sack by unleashing Rangers’ very own Kuhn

Following one of Rangers’ most embarrassing defeats of all-time, Philippe Clement’s job is on the line, so he must unleash his best attacker.