Rangers confirm their new manager to replace Michael Beale, who reportedly wants a return to Championship strugglers QPR.
On Sunday morning, the Scottish Premiership giants have named the arrival of Philippe Clement, whose main rival for the job, Kevin Muscat, had been told he was no longer in the running.
The Belgian coach has won the race to take over at Ibrox, having been on their radar since departing Monaco at the end of last season.
💙 Welcome to #RangersFC, @philippe_clemnt #RangersFC is today delighted to confirm the appointment of Philippe Clement as the club’s new men’s first-team manager.
👉 https://t.co/wvKAcWhIFu pic.twitter.com/dGqlDjjnNn
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) October 15, 2023
CLUB STATEMENT:
Statement via www.rangers.co.uk: Rangers Football Club is today delighted to confirm the appointment of Philippe Clement as the club’s new men’s first-team manager.
Clement, 49, arrives at Ibrox with a wealth of experience as a player and coach, as well as a track-record of winning league titles.
A winner as a player with Genk and Club Brugge, he was also capped 38 times by Belgium and appeared in all their matches at the 1998 World Cup and was part of their Euro 2000 squad.
Clement also has experience of British football after a stint with Coventry City.
His move into management has seen him accumulate major honours – winning the Belgian Pro League three years in a row, firstly with Genk and then twice with Club Brugge from 2019 to 2021.
He has several years of Champions League Group Stage experience with Club Brugge, including two campaigns which saw his side enter the Europa League knockout stages.
A spell with Monaco followed. After joining the Ligue 1 side ranked ninth in the league, he led them to a top-three finish in his first season in charge.
Clement now arrives in Glasgow to begin a three-and-a-half year contract as the 19th manager of Rangers FC, subject to receipt of a work permit.
Speaking upon his appointment, Clement said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the new manager of Rangers Football Club and I’d like to thank the board for giving me this opportunity.
I am hugely excited by this chance to achieve success at one of Europe’s most iconic clubs across four competitions in what remains of this season and beyond.
“I am looking forward to meeting with the players in the coming days and to meeting our supporters at next Saturday’s home match with Hibernian, as we set out together to create a successful, winning Rangers.”
Rangers Chairman, John Bennett commented: “I would like to offer my warm congratulations to Philippe as he becomes our 19th manager.
“His appointment comes at the end of a carefully planned and comprehensive recruitment process. A team led by our CEO James Bisgrove, members of the board, and former Rangers player and manager Graeme Souness, has spent the last 10 days interviewing several high calibre candidates, with those individuals undergoing a rigorous interview and vetting process. We thank all candidates for their interest in the position.
Philippe proved to be the outstanding candidate across all the key criteria, reinforced by his track record of winning titles and I wish him every success as he leads us forward.
The new management team will meet the men’s first-team squad for the first time on Monday as a new era begins at Rangers.
– STATEMENT ENDS –
Kevin Muscat, a former player of Rangers, made 22 appearances for them during the 2002/03 season, and has gone on to flourish in the role as manager out in Australia and Japan.
Others manager who had been linked with the Rangers job were the likes of Scott Parker – who wants some time out before turning to the touchline – and Frank Lampard, but backlash from fans saw him reportedly removed from the shortlist.
Meanwhile, Michael Beale is plotting a return to Loftus Road, with Alan Nixon claiming he is keen to go back to his former club should they decide to axe Gareth Ainsworth.
QPR have had a bleak season so far, sitting 22nd in the Championship table, taking 8 points from 11 games, and calls for Ainsworth echoed around their stadium after a 4-0 defeat to Blackburn last week.
Under Beale, they had sat top of the second tier at one point last season, flying before he departed for Rangers in November.
QPR were gutted to lose him, but had to back incoming boss Neil Critchley, who only stayed in charge for 12 games, before sacking him and that is where Ainsworth came in from Wycombe in the February.
But Ainsworth has picked up just five wins from 25 games played. QPR claim that they will stand by him. Fans want him gone with a relegation battle expected this season unless changes are made. Should they bring back Beale to turn their fortunes around?
As Rangers confirm their new manager to replace Michael Beale, who wants return to QPR, fans were asked if they’d have him back at Loftus Road…
@dhunter1993: Bring him back
@ConorW_2000: I’d struggle to welcome him back
@s_threlfall4: You know what to do @Amit_Bhatia99
@RsFANSADLY: please.
@qprjohn11: No thanks Judas
@Tomqpr1: honestly, bring him back @QPR I’d rather be playing under him than league 1 football icl
@AbsolutelyBrfc: I know it ended badly but I mean… Got you top 3 while he was there.
@Mystery2910: I’d rather John Terry come in as manager
@clifftop22: Absolute lies
@Ry4nH07: 🛎️ end
@hargreaves_hugo: You are not welcome back.
@senornunes: That is a fascinating notion. I imagine for many QPR fans it would be ‘over my dead body’ after bizarre way he left for Rangers after snubbing Wolves/Villa to stay and talking about having a project to see through. But on the other hand – isnt he better than Ainsworth?
@Bazzer198197610: Why would they want that you walked out on them .. at least Ainsworth loves the club might not be doing ok but he wants to be there
@benjyjames10: I’d rather go down
@payno268: Don’t care what’s happened before. Make it happen. Best football we had played for god knows how long under him and most importantly means Ainsworth is gone
@L_Jackman9: Outrageously controversial with our fans but somehow I’d still take him over ainsworth atm
@SeanMeaney17: He can fuck right off
@CallumHallett6: Yessss would love this for #QPR. Try and get them back and track!
@KMCL96: No chance 😂
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