Rangers manager Philippe Clement does not feel his position is under threat despite the poorest start to a league campaign since the club’s first season back in the Premiership in 2016-17.
Ahead of his side’s Europa League meeting with Nice, the Belgian said there had been no discussions with the board in the wake of Saturday’s home draw against Dundee United.
That left them 11 points behind Celtic but Clement’s only dealings with the board since has been a meeting with incoming chief executive Patrick Stewart.
“No, I’m not busy with that,” he said when asked if he had the impression his job was at risk if results did not improve. “I’m busy with the team, with getting results.”
Clement stressed there had been “no board discussions” but said his exchange with Stewart was “a really good talk”.
He explained: “It’s a very important thing because the last couple of months there was a big vacuum. A lot of things couldn’t be decided because there was no one to decide.”
Although Clement cited various mitigating factors, he was adamant they were not an excuse for poor performances and results, though he was defensive when asked for signs of progress in the 13 months he has been in charge.
“Everyone is talking about one year and it’s not reality,” he said. “It’s four months now that there has been a rebuild. A lot of things changed in the club, 16 players in the squad. So referring to one year is not correct.
“There were good moments, good games and good results, there were bad moments, losing points that we cannot lose. We know the standards Rangers are about, but we are working really hard to get consistency.”
Rangers have reserved their best performances for the Europa League and a positive result on Thursday would put them within touching distance of qualification.
“I’m here to win with the guys or to do everything to try to win because it’s a massive game, for Nice even more than us,” added Clement.
“If we can win I think we make a really big step towards qualification, we are almost certain of that. Taking a point can also be really important at the end but we will go full for the three points against a really good team.”
