The Rangers manager, Philippe Clement, took a jab at a loaded question about a possible title challenge with Celtic and then called out the journalist.
The new manager at Ibrox made his remarks prior to Rangers’ trip to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership, where they hope to close the gap on Celtic at the top of the standings this coming weekend.
Rangers defeated Hearts at Ibrox in the late hours of play to close the gap to five points after the Parkhead team made a mistake while travelling to Hibs.
Philippe Clement declined to discuss talk of a title challenge following that 2-1 victory at Ibrox, and the Belgian player evaded a question about a Premiership challenge from a journalist during the Dundee press conference.
Philippe Clement declines to accept the bait of a journalist’s title
The Rangers manager responded, “The league was still there for the taking,” when asked if the victory over Hearts had given Clement confidence.
“I never discussed that, but it’s a good idea to ask questions in order to lead me to a certain conclusion.
This is not the first instance of it occurring. Our attention is on ourselves. I want everyone in this building to focus on the current game, not on what might happen in the future.
“I want everyone to stay on the road, to be focused on it, and to keep making it stronger so that we can compete in every competition.”
“At this point, that’s the only focus this team and this club need.”
Philippe Clement has resisted a journalist’s advances in Scotland before, and the Rangers manager is proving to be a cunning manipulator of the media.
It’s evident that the Belgian coach won’t be sucked into corny soundbites about title challenges that could be used against him in the future because all of his attention is focused on helping Rangers adopt a winning mentality.
The next game is the sole focus, and Rangers supporters are beginning to feel that the team is finally in capable hands going forward. It is up to the players to finally put some pressure on the Parkhead team as Celtic falter and Rangers gain momentum.
