Philippe Clement admits Celtic fans interaction as Rangers boss uses Glasgow stroll to show he’ll NEVER blank fan requests
The Ibrox gaffer has been looking ahead to Sunday’s important cup clash with Hearts at the national stadium.
Philippe Clement has been pretty much living and breathing Rangers since he was appointed manager on October 15.
Four games – three won and a draw on foreign soil – has seen to that, coupled with trying to implement his methods with a squad shorn of confidence when he took over from Michael Beale. But a rare chance to get away from the Rangers Training Centre last week merely reinforced the Belgian’s belief that the latest stage in his managerial career has seen him take root in a city as steeped in football as he is. “I had a walk for an hour and a half in the city centre last week,” he smiled when asked if he had been able to get away from his work at any point.
And was he recognised by the Glasgow public? “Yeah, a lot,” said. “But all positive. Even the Celtic people were friendly, yes. Of course I chatted with them. I am happy to engage. I have been a fan myself. I have been a child, I have gone to football games to ask for autographs, I have done it myself. So why would I do something different towards people when I expected the same thing from them when I was small. It is normal in life.
“Mostly they wanted selfies. They didn’t speak long about football because they saw also that I was in a hurry and I didn’t have much time.”
He’s a man in a hurry, of that there is no doubt. And his latest destination happens to be Hampden tomorrow, where Hearts lie in wait in the semi final of the Viaplay Cup. Clement has never been to the National Stadium but he was painfully honest in answering whether the prospect was sending excitement coursing through his veins.
“No to be honest,” he admitted. “I have a lot of respect for the history but I am so focused on my team. That’s the only thing that is important.
“I told them with the circumstances before the game in Dundee. It does not matter if we play in the national stadium or parking lot – it’s about one thing, winning games.
“I hate this idea about extra motivation because it’s a semi final. I want the players to be motivated for everything. If I think: “Oh, now they’re motivated because it’s a chance to win a cup”, no, that’s the wrong message. They need to be motivated every day.”
That’s a mentality that Clement has been trying to drive into his players and the message appears to be getting across. While yet to hit absolute top form, there were signs at Dens Park in midweek that Rangers as an attacking force are getting nearer to where he wants them to be.
Clement said: “For me, the kind of football that I love to watch is the football Man City plays, but it doesn’t mean we are going to play that way,” he insisted. “I want to make it really clear.
“We have to look at the qualities of our team and what the team really needs. That is most important. But even then, for them (City), with all their qualities, it is not every game they score four or five goals. It is not that simple in football.
“We need to be efficient, we need to do the good things, we need to take our moments. We did it in a good way in Dundee. But there is an opponent on the other side who can be really good and do amazing things to avoid you scoring goals. That is part of football also – that you don’t concede.”
He’s well aware that the only goal they have conceded on his watch so far came against Hearts, early in the game at Ibrox a week ago. It then took his side until the 90th minute to level before they went on to win.
And yes, he’d love to avoid a repeat of that early scenario tomorrow, but admits there are no guarantees. He added: “We had a fast start against Hearts. Yeah, they scored, but you don’t have control about these things. We cannot play this game without having chances against, it doesn’t work that way.
Philippe Clement and Todd Cantwell
“They did a good attack and they scored a good goal. Then you need to react in a good way. Which we did also.
“The perfect scenario is to score early. I prefer two or three goals! Those are the perfect scenarios. But you can’t work to those scenarios. You have to work to every scenario and react in a good way, that is the most important thing.”
The Gers boss kept his cards close to his chest regarding the style his team will adopt at Hampden but he’s as determined to keep Steven Naismith guessing as he was with the media yesterday.
“If you always play the same it is too easy for the opponent to stop you also,” he reasoned. “Every game you need to analyse what are their strong points so you can stop that as fast as possible and what are their weaker points so that you can take advantage of their spaces.
“That is a very important part of our job – to look at every game like that.”
