Michael Beale did too much Rangers damage for Clement to have quick fix as Hotline slams board for taking their time

Philippe Clement has been handed the reins as the 19th permanent manager of Rangers.

The former Monaco, Club Brugge and Genk coach faces a huge task turning around a car crash season that sees them already seven points adrift of Celtic. And Hotline callers were mixed in their opinion as to whether the Belgian is the man to carry out the repairs. Andrew Smith emailed: “I’m just glad the board haven’t mucked around and have now given the new man some time to work with the team before the Hibs game. But they really now need to get the finger out and appoint a director of football. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Beale disaster it’s that one man can never again be trusted to have sole possession of the keys to the club coffers.”

David Kirkpatrick, Glasgow, said: “Every managerial appointment is a gamble so nobody can say for sure how Clement will fare at Ibrox. He took over Monaco mid-season in his last job and took time to settle winning just three of his first nine league games. One thing is for sure, he will need to hit the ground running at Ibrox or the season will be gone before he knows it.”

But Robert Livingstone, Palm Beach, said: “Rangers have taken far too long to make this appointment. With the Hibs game days away and the rest of the season at stake, it should have been done about a week after Beale's departure. Now it's given the new man a very short time to take control with a must-win against the Hibees and most likely every other game. It would help if all the flops hit form and started scoring goals, easier said than done. The reality is Beale’s done so much damage maybe there’s no quick fix. It’s tough times ahead but hopefully the new manager can change things for the better.”

Clement is on