For an extended period, Philippe Clement has maintained that he won’t see the league table until the end of May, when the title race is decided.
However, the Rangers manager defied expectations last night by saying the four magic words that Ibrox supporters had been waiting a long time to hear. The men from Govan had trailed their Old Firm rivals by seven points just in October, so their two-point lead at the top is a remarkable turnaround. Gers supporters were in a celebratory mood at McDiarmid Park yesterday as the Light Blues fully capitalised on Celtic’s 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock.
Rangers, who lost to Celtic at the end of 2023, have now won nine straight games. They looked convincing again as they won 3-0 at St Johnstone, a game that might decide the title. After a thunderous opener from Mohamed Diomande and a double from James Tavernier, the away supporters were ecstatic as they celebrated leapfrogging their fierce rivals for the first time since August 2022.
Battle cry ‘We shall not be moved’ was followed by a sarcastic message to Celtic ‘We’re going to win the league’.
Speaking both before and after the game, Clement maintained his poker face while he answered inquiries from the press about Rangers’ dominant position. When asked if he had sneaked a peek at the standings the previous week, Clement emphasised, “No. On day one, day eight, day seventeen, day thirty-two—what good is it to consult a league table? It’s all about finishing first after the last day.
“I’ve been looking at the table for the past two or three days, but before that, I worked on the assignment for every minute I was awake in order to earn as many points as I could. That’s known as managing the manageables.”
Clement did, however, let his guard down when he addressed Rangers supporters on social media Friday night. “At the top of the league but still a long way to go,” bellowed the Treble-chasing leader. We continue to put forth a lot of effort. In unison. Rangers can increase their pressure on Brendan Rodgers this weekend by pulling ahead five points before Celtic kick a ball. The Hoops have a difficult away journey to Motherwell on Sunday noon, while the Gers visit Hearts on Saturday afternoon.
