Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Josh McCafferty

Rangers assistant admits 'shock' at Clement sacking, reveals how Ferguson works

Rangers assistant coach Issame Charai has revealed his shock at Philippe Clement's dismissal. 

The Belgian initially brought Charai to Ibrox just a few weeks before he was sacked. 

Successive home defeats to Queen's Park and St Mirren eventually proved crucial for Clement, who has now been replaced by interim head coach Barry Ferguson

Despite the change of other personnel in the Ibrox dugout, Charai remains in his post, although has lifted the lid on his surprise at Clement's departure: "The past period has been very hectic," he said (Gazet van Antwerpen). 

"Philippe’s dismissal was not easy, it was also a shock for me. Nevertheless, the club assured me that they wanted to continue with me. I still have three and a half years of contract here."


Read more: 


Change has been synonymous with the past few weeks at Rangers both on the pitch and off it. 

In Charai's home life, the same has rung true, with uncertainty initially reigning over his family's move to Scotland. He said: "My family also arrived here last week. 

"Because of Philippe’s dismissal, that was also uncertain for a while. But as soon as I got certainty, we simply continued the visa procedures.

"In the meantime, everything is fine, the children have already had their first day of school. Before that, they lived in Rabat in Morocco after my period with the national team. Moving back to Belgium was crazy, because it was not yet clear in the past months where I would start working.

"He (Clement) is a truly highly regarded coach who has already won many prizes. I absolutely wanted to work under such a successful coach. Moreover, we are both from Antwerp, which made it easier."

Rangers welcome Fenerbahce to Ibrox this evening as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League

After that, the small matter of a trip to face Celtic at Parkhead lies in wait: "It will be a crazy week with hopefully two victories," said Charai. 

"Barry [Ferguson] wants to continue Philippe’s work in the Europa League. That already worked out well last Thursday. The atmosphere in Istanbul was incredible, and Ibrox will be no different when it is packed with 52,000 fans.

"(Ferguson) has earned his stripes as a player and gets a lot of respect here. He also has confidence in me. He involves the assistants in everything and lets me do a lot. 

"Barry is really the gaffer, the manager. He is there on the pitch, but the assistants give the training. Other than that, there is not really a hierarchy among the assistants."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.