Philippe Clement has made Rangers seismic momentum shift look simple and Celtic deniers must catch a grip – Keith Jackson

The art of good management is a lot more complicated than some sort of box-ticking exercise. But, that being said, Philippe Clement is beginning to make it all feel just that simple.

Stop the rot which eroded what was left of Michael Beale’s reputation? Check. Use the same players and yet manage to completely transform their form and results? Check. Eat a huge chunk out of Celtic’s lead at the top of the table? Check. Progress to the last 16 of the Europa League? Check. And win the first domestic trophy of the session? One that has eluded Rangers for more than a decade? Yep, he’s crossed that one off too.

All of which might have been easier for the other side of Glasgow’s divide to ignore had it not been happening right here, on the very doorstep that they seem so determined to make a mess of. Seriously, what happened at Hampden yesterday – as James Tavernier’s second-half winner settled the Viaplay Cup Final – certainly felt like a rather seismic shift in momentum, coming as it did, 24 hours after all hell was breaking loose again at Parkhead.

A second league defeat on the bounce means Brendan Rodgers is now firmly in Clement’s sights. And the Belgian now has the chance to take Rangers all the way to the top of the table before he dips into the January sales.

Honestly, given the dreadfully dilapidated state this lot were in when he took over from Beale, what Clement has achieved in such a short space of time is as close to remarkable as it gets. And if there’s anyone at Celtic still in denial then now would seem like an appropriate moment to catch a grip.

There’s a genuine battle for domestic supremacy now staring them dead in the eye and all the ‘sack the boards’ in the world won’t help Rodgers to see this Rangers