Clement scrutiny increases after Rangers' latest loss & fans' views

In the aftermath of what Philippe Clement acknowledged was Rangers' worst performance of his tenure, the pressure on the beleaguered manager has reached new heights.

St Mirren came to Ibrox on Saturday and left with a 2-0 win. The Paisley side had enjoyed just one league victory in seven since beating Rangers on Boxing Day and last celebrated success in Govan in 1991.

It has been difficult for many to understand before now how Clement has retained his position in the wake of a series of disappointing - to say the least - results, most recently the Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Queen's Park.

Chief executive Patrick Stewart indicated this week that the European run - with a Europa League last-16 tie with Fenerbahce in March to come - was what had kept him in post given a season without a trophy seems likely.

But after Saturday, with fans streaming out of Ibrox long before the end of the game, the question now is "does that remain the case?"

Not for BBC Scotland analyst Leanne Crichton, who said: "If you are the board of directors and you see the fans exiting the stadium, I don't think you can watch this much longer.

"The Queen's Park result, this performance on Saturday, you really are clutching at straws if they are going to use Europe as an excuse not to dispose of the manager.

"The reality for Rangers now under Philippe Clement's tenure is that nobody fears Rangers. There is no fear factor going to Ibrox."

Former Rangers striker Billy Dodds also feels the end is close for the Belgian.

"I would be surprised [if Clement stayed]," he said on Sportsound. "It is as poor as I have seen them. I have seen them not play well on a lot of occasions and there has been a lot of inconsistency, but this is the worst."

'There are severe issues now'

Clearly a defeat by St Mirren is not as humiliating as a loss to a Championship side, but there were still a series of statistics pre-match to suggest that this is not an acceptable result.

The 34-year period since the last time it occurred is an obvious one, as is the 45-year wait for back-to-back St Mirren league wins over Rangers.

Rangers had won their last 14 at Ibrox against the Paisley side, but even if you look at more recent form, it should not have been on the cards.

Prior to kick-off, Clement's side had taken more points than any other team in 2025 (20), winning their past five in the league, while no one had earned fewer points this calendar year than St Mirren (four).

Former Rangers midfielder Ian McCall laid the bIame at the feet of the players.

"I thought they downed tools," he said. "The level of performance was not good enough. There are severe issues now. There maybe was before.

"I was at the Queen's Park game and freak results happen, but today was seriously worrying. St Mirren deserved to win.

"I'm not going to call for a manager to go. But if I was Philippe Clement, I would be very worried because some of the players really chucked it and looked like they wanted the end of the game. It was truly woeful."

Another factor that must have an impact on the board's thinking is the potential takeover currently being discussed.

No board would want to make a permanent managerial replacement under such circumstances, though will that be enough to keep Clement in place until the Europa League meetings with Fenerbahce?

Clement himself sounded as low as he has ever sounded in his post-match interviews, but refused to throw in the towel.

That decision may finally be taken out of his hands before Wednesday's trip to Rugby Park to take on Kilmarnock.

What are the fans saying?

David: I am never one to shout for the manager to be sacked. However, this is really the final straw. No heart. No fight. No structure. This is not Rangers. Takeover or not, a new interim manager is required before the Fenerbahce game.

Gordon: Another dismal display. However, I'll be amazed if there are major changes before the 49ers deal goes through, if it does. So that just leaves a team going through the motions until the end of the season as there's no chance of European glory. A pitiful state of affairs for a club of this stature.

Steve: The only thing that can save Clement is the takeover. They will want to bring in their own manager so firing the current one now wouldn't make sense.

Eamon: It's time for the so-called manager to go. Enough is enough. We can't put up with this any longer. One unmitigated disaster after another and Clement wants to talk about finding solutions. How long does he need?

Peter: The players have given up. The manager can't set them up or motivate them properly. This is Rangers. No more. The end. Get an ex-player caretaker in and plan for the next season now.

William: This has been a long and slow decline both on and off the pitch. Inept and mismanagement by a weak board, a bunch of overpaid and underachieving players, a coaching staff who cannot see what is going wrong, a youth set-up that has been ripped apart due to the financial mismanagement of the club. PC should drop every player due to leave in the summer.

Graeme: Predictable football. No players brave enough to run at their defence. Aimless hit and hope long balls over top of their defence. Our defence was shocking, can't deal with long balls. Rangers were bullied yesterday and this has never been acceptable at Ibrox. And stop playing Butland, the guy is a disaster!

Gary: This is the worst Rangers team for a long, long time. Players need to give themselves a good look in the mirror and ask themselves am I giving all I can for the club and the fans? Sadly, the answer right now is not by a long shot.