‘Total chaos’ – Philippe Clement reflects on ‘frustrating’ Rangers stint

Clement was frustrated by a lack of communication from those in senior positions as he was left to address questions about the club’s off-field issues.

He says discussions were had over the summer about the long-term project required to take on Celtic, but feels the board were unwilling to express that to supporters.

“They said we know we don’t have the money that Celtic has for the moment,” Clement added.

“It was quite an old squad. So we know we’re going to need four, five, maybe six transfer windows to gain money and to close this gap with Celtic.

“And it starts with getting young players in, develop them, make them better and sell them to build the club again where it should be.

“I think the board was afraid to say these things towards the fans because they were already very angry about the stadium issue.

“I was the only one speaking in the club because there was nobody anymore.”

The club has since been taken over by a US-based consortium led by private healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, but Clement feels that instability at the top of the club was a fundamental reason behind Celtic’s on-field dominance during his time at Rangers.

“There was a big difference about everything around the team, even maybe a bigger difference than on the pitch,” he said, when asked about the gap between the Old Firm clubs.

“In preparation, in everything around the club, Celtic is much more organised than Rangers.

“And I was there for sure in these seven months where there was total chaos at Rangers.”