Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart has announced Rangers will back struggling manager Philippe Clement and give him time to fix the issues that leave them 15 points behind rivals Celtic in the Premiership title riace.
The former Manchester United chief gave a detailed briefing on the current situation at the club and insisted that fan unrest over the manager would not force change.
Stewart also detailed a root and branch internal review of every aspect of the club and stated that the January transfer window would only see 'one or two' players arrive.
And Clement, a three-time league title winner in his native Belgium, will be given time to get things right on the pitch.
Stewart said: “Cutting to the chase, we are backing Philippe at this time as a board. It's about taking a deeper look at the issues, addressing those problems, and staying focused on building a stronger future for the club. Changing a manager isn't a silver bullet solution.
“You know where I've worked previously, and that isn't something that has been effective there, it's not effective at a lot of football clubs where there's constant change of manager. What I do need to do, and what the board are supporting me with, is uncovering the underlying issues and addressing those.
“And there's been quite a lot of supporters' comments, and one that particularly jumped out at me was, you know, some supporters' comments are, we want to change a manager. I think others are, look, this isn't just about the manager, it's more about what's going on at the football club.
“Because there's been several years where we've been underperforming, and there's something deeper rooted here, and I agree with that. So I think that's what we need to do, we need to look beneath the surface. Managers and coaching staff will continue to come and go in the future, that's understood. Again, that is football.
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“But what I'm looking to do, again, this is a team effort, is build a solid foundation and a real long-term football plan for the club. If we rush and react every time there's some poor results, we're in danger of just being back in the same place in a year's time or 18 months' time or however long.
“But I want to be clear, look, I'm not saying everything is fine, and I think the fans are frustrated, I get that. I've been a football fan my entire life, I've been in that position, we're also all frustrated. And particularly if I look at the away results, you know, the record is there, it's been discussed, it's not good, and it's not what's expected for Rangers. So we are working with Philippe to address consistency issues, and I'm also not going to speculate on what happens if results don't improve.
“I spent time with Philippe, I spent a lot of time with Philippe, a lot of time at Auchenhowie, I was with Philippe last night, and we discussed the need, the imperative for results to improve. If results don't improve, obviously I can't give Philippe any cast iron guarantees. He and I have both been around football long enough to know that isn't the case.
"Equally, I'm not going to get into how many games Philippe has to save his job, that's not what we're about. We're about helping Philippe to identify why there is the inconsistency and let's address that. And again, to be clear, sticking with Philippe isn't about trying to avoid a tough decision. "In fact, I think if anything, changing a manager would be the easy decision, because a lot of supporters are calling for that. I'm aware of that, I've seen the statements.
"But I think that would be easy and I'm looking at this from a long-term perspective and thinking what's in the best interests of the club. So, I'm putting the club first, not my own interests and whether this decision is going to be viewed as positive or negative. "I'm really thinking about the club first. So, it is very much about making the right decisions for the long-term success of the club. And again, Philippe understands that. "I do want to say about Philippe, he's really committed. I've worked with several managers and Philippe is as hard working and committed as any I've seen. First in the training ground, last out, he's always on, always available, always thinking about it. "So he is absolutely committed to bringing success to the club, and we're committed to providing him with that support. But just to reiterate, it's a results-orientated business, so we know that results have to improve."
