Before the match against Ayr United in the fifth round, the Ibrox boss is not taking anything for granted.
Philippe Clement
This week, thirteen years ago, Scott Brown gave birth to “The Broony” on a tumultuous Scottish Cup afternoon at Ibrox, earning him the title of greatest public adversary among Rangers supporters. The former Celtic captain will make his managerial debut tonight at the same location and in the same round of the same competition.
When it comes to coincidences, Brown’s first boss return to enemy land coincides with a rather big stroke of bad luck. However, Philippe Clement is keen that his Rangers players make sure it’s as unlucky as they come if that 13th anniversary is any kind of omen.
It is not the intention to witness the Ayr United gaffer prance around with his arms raised. The Belgian, who has no desire to become entangled in sideshows, believes that any victorious gestures should only be made by those donning light blue.
The Ibrox faithful may find it hard not to poke fun at their rival, who remarked this week that he “has a lot of love for Rangers.” However, Clement has more significant goals in mind as he attempts to win the Scottish Cup fifth round and maintain his hopes of winning the Treble.
“There are four games remaining for each player in this round to win the trophy.” It’s not that far. Because it has nothing to do with us, we must concentrate on that and not everything else going on around us.
As usual, Clement is totally focused. Not that he needed it, but Thursday night’s French Cup disaster for his former club Monaco against FC Rouen, a third-tier team, served as a timely reminder that he and his teammates simply cannot take their opponents in the Championship lightly this evening. The boss of Ibrox is also familiar with the freedom that Ayr will have at Ibrox this evening and with what it’s like to be a giantkiller.
His first professional victory came in 1998 with the underdog Genk team, who advanced to the Belgian Cup final and stunned his native country by defeating Club Brugge 4-0. “I was definitely involved with a shock with a smaller team,” Clement stated. I won my very first trophy playing for Genk against Club Brugge.
Philippe Clement raises the cup in celebration.
“We won promotion the year we went there, and we finished eighth the following year when we played in the second division.” In the Intertoto Cup, we qualified for Europe, which surprised everyone because they all thought we would be demoted straight away.
“After only two years in the second division, we won the Belgian Cup the following season after finishing second and defeating Brugge in the final. Everyone anticipated Brugge to win the championship as well, as they had easily won the league at the end of that season. However, we prevailed 4-0.
“I recall the minor but significant particulars. There was a team photo taken prior to the game. Brugge had just eleven players in his squad. However, we got a picture with all of the staff members and roughly 20 players.
That was our group’s mood and environment. It was merely a pleasant excursion to have a fantastic first time at the national stadium. Thus, I am aware of how it is. It’s never easy. It’s about behaving with dignity, wisdom, and decency.
“Thursday night was the best illustration. Monaco lost their cup match against a team from the second division. I don’t want to see anything like this taking place here.
Not only is a domestic triple crown looming, winking at Rangers, but a spot in the Europa League’s round of 16 has also been guaranteed. This might be the start of an absolutely explosive season. Clement is well aware of the difficulties his injured team will face in the future. However, he is adamant that each competition will be given equal weight.
“Yes, because winning the trophies is what matters in the end,” he replied. You must accept the fact that certain tournaments are undoubtedly harder than others.
It is evident that winning the Europa League is more challenging than winning national championships. The other European leagues are of higher caliber.
However, because the club has a rich trophy history, each trophy we win this season will mean a great deal to us. However, in the past few years, it hasn’t been consistent. Everyone is putting in a lot of effort to return to the state in which we are consistently winning.
Clement maintains that, even if he had been involved in this competition from the beginning, there would be no distinction between winning the Scottish Cup and the League Cup in December. “No,” he replied. Since it’s not about me, there is no distinction in that sense. The players, staff, and club are the main focus, and they have been here the entire year.
Ben Davies will return to the Rangers lineup this evening, while Tom Lawrence will not be playing as he is rested for “precautionary” reasons. “Ben is not fit to start the game yet,” Clement stated. Our center backs’ fitness is crucial. While he is away, Leon Balogun will return shortly. However, up to this point, all four of them have performed incredibly well with me.
“As you can see, there has been a rotation in every game we have played. Ben’s injuries prevented him from playing as much, but when he did, he performed admirably. Both competitiveness and quality are crucial in that area.
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