In appointing Phillipe Clement, Rangers have acquired a manager with a proven track record that should stand him in good stead for the demands and challenges that await at Ibrox.
The 49-year-old Belgian was confirmed as Michael Beale’s replacement on Sunday morning following a final round of interviews with chairman John Bennett and James Bisgrove, and involving Rangers legend Graeme Souness. It followed a two-week process undertaken by the club since the decision to part company with Beale following a dismal start to the season that has left Clement with a seven point gap to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
A number of names were linked with the vacancy – Frank Lampard, Scott Parker and AZ Alkmaar boss Pascal Jansen were all touted – but in the end it came down to a straight choice between Clement and former Rangers defender Kevin Muscat, the current manager of Yokohama F Marinos. Muscat was a strong contender – title wins in Australia and Japan adding gloss to the CV of the former assistant to Ange Postecoglou – but it was Clement who ultimately stood out to the Ibrox board for his three consecutive Belgian titles with Genk and Club Brugge and his experience of managing in one of the top leagues in Europe following an 18-month stint at Monaco.
But putting those managerial honours aside, what else about the former Belgium international tipped the scales in his favour over a man who had already tasted success in Govan in the shape of a domestic treble as a player? Look beneath the surface and it becomes clear why Clement emerged as the number one choice for Ibrox bosses.
His playing days are a good starting point – nine major honours across a decade at Brugge point to the ex-midfielder being a proven winner. He also had a brief taste of UK football with Coventry City in the late 1990s and was capped 38 times for his country including appearances at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. That wealth of experience saw him take his first steps into coaching with Brugge, initially in the youth ranks before working his way up to assistant manager – which included two short stints as caretaker boss – before departing in 2017 to take up his first head coaching role at Waasland-Beveren.
An impressive start to his reign led to him being poached by Genk after just six months, where a Belgian title win in 2018-19 – the club’s only league success over the past 12 years – was enough to convince former employers Club Brugge to offer him the manager’s job. Two more back-to-back titles followed and a third was on the cards until Monaco came calling in January 2022. Clement made a positive impact in the principality, steering the club into the Champions League qualifiers with a third-placed finish after a blistering end to his first campaign, but his second season in charge ended in a sixth placed finish, missing out on European qualification, resulting in a parting of the ways in June.
After what may be considered the first setback of his managerial career, Clement will now face the challenge of bringing success back to Rangers and breaking the dominance Celtic have enjoyed in Scotland for most of the past decade, and more. Key to his hopes will be implementing an attacking brand of football that the Rangers support demand while getting a tune out of a misfiring squad including several new signings recruited by his predecessor during a much-criticised summer transfer window.
Clement’s own take on his style of play will be music to Rangers fans’ ears – “my philosophy has always been to have a dominant team, one that plays offensively, and with a lot of commitment.” He has used numerous different formations across his time in the hotseat with the emphasis often on building play from the back.
Belgian football consultant Scott Coyne, speaking to Sky Sports, said: “It’s predominantly a possession-based game but he likes his sides to play a high line, draw the opposition out and create that space in behind. The challenge he will have in Scotland is that a lot of teams will play against Rangers with a low block so there’s a number of different ways of finding that space. There are players in that current Rangers squad who would excite Philippe and who would fit his system.
“He’s a proven winner as a player and manager. I think he has the mentality to come into this environment and absolutely grab it by the horns. He understands the need to win and win big. He’s familiar to coming into clubs who are in a degree of disarray, restoring a sense of order and getting them firing again.”
Clement’s backroom team has yet to be confirmed but Johan Van Rumst was his assistant during his previous managerial roles at Beveren, Genk, Brugge and Monaco and therefore must be considered a frontrunner to follow his fellow Belgian to Glasgow in the coming days. Reports also suggest that Stephan van der Heyden will be joining the Ibrox staff after the 54-year-old was spotted jetting into Scotland alongside Clement on Sunday. He was assistant at Club Brugge between 2013 and 2017 and was most recently at Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League.
There could be also be a role for Steven Davis after the Northern Ireland international took over the reins as interim manager following Beale’s dismissal, overseeing the defeat to Aris Limassol in the Europa League and the league win at St Mirren over the past fortnight. Celtic have enjoyed continuity in the coaching department with the permanent fixture of John Kennedy under four different managers, so having someone like Davis behind the scenes, who knows everything there is to know about Rangers and the wider Scottish football landscape, could be considered hugely beneficial to an outsider coming in such as Clement.
