Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton is lapping up the turmoil surrounding Rangers manager Philippe Clement and has even suggested that his recent media comments are starting to resemble the infamous ramblings of ex-boss Pedro Caixinha.
Sutton believes that Clement urgently needs to regain his credibility, as the increasingly frustrated Rangers fan base are unlikely to accept what they perceive as delusional statements such as claiming a recent Scottish Premiership victory against Ross County was the best in "around four years".
After Rangers suffered a heavy defeat to Celtic in the latest Old Firm encounter, some raging punters unleashed attacks at the Rangers staff outside Ibrox, demanding change.
Sutton expressed disbelief at Clement's post-match observations, which he felt were muddled and lacked substance.
Drawing a direct comparison to Caixinha, who faced intense criticism during his short-lived 229 days tenure in Glasgow for his outlandish remarks, Sutton couldn’t help but fear the worst for Clement moving forward.
The Belgian gaffer was given a fresh contract extension running until summer 2028 last month and will soon celebrate one year in the Rangers hot seat.
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“I always think about Pedro Caixinha not being believable when he spoke," an ecstatic Sutton told the Daily Record. "That was his problem and Clement is going down the same road.
"When he first came into Rangers, I found him measured and speaking well. I don’t know what has happened or whether it’s just the environment in Glasgow, but it sounded to me as if he was losing the plot.
“Everyone who watched the game realises there’s an enormous gulf between Celtic and Rangers in every single department. To come out afterwards and paint the picture as not being that bad is bordering on delusional. What he says, barring the need for time to implement changes, is just plain wrong and that’s a key issue. Fans hang on his every word. To try and paint that picture when those fans have just watched a horror show lacks credibility.
“Rangers were mauled. Any balanced person could see that Celtic are far superior and could have scored five or six. For him to claim they should have been 2-0 up is irrelevant. Four shots each on target? Kasper Schmeichel only had two real saves to make when the game was finished and it was already 3-0. Equal possession stats? The mad rant about average ages of squads? Boasting about beating Ross County who have been awful this season so far?
“I don’t know who is feeding him this stuff, but it’s miles off. Rangers fans don’t care about beating Ross County 6-0. They want to see progression and progression against Celtic. So far in five Old Firm games, he’s had one victory. And that was his moral one after a 3-3 draw. The build-up to the next game against Dundee United is vital because he has to speak well. Not as he did at Celtic Park as that was garbage.
“You have to look credible and I don’t think his stuff at Parkhead was. I do not agree with some assessments that Rangers lack fight, or effort. It’s a lack of quality. They set out to nullify Celtic, but you need more than that. But just say it as it is.
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“In fairness, he was saying at the start of the season Rangers would be better by October, so why not just stick with that mantra? Instead, over the past few weeks, he’s chucked out things where you think: Blimey. What’s he talking about?
“Clement signing a new contract was such an odd move. The intention seemed to be, in my eyes, to show harmony. But I never understood the upside, other than to try and show everyone is pulling in the same direction.
"My feeling is that Rangers do have to stick with him, until it reaches a point where he’s getting hounded out and thousands are staying away from games.
“At that stage, it becomes untenable. That’s why this next period is crucial for him and he has to get it right. Both with what he does and, crucially, what he says.”
