Philippe Clement signed his own Rangers death warrant and now this disease MUST be purged – Scott McDermott

The Rangers board doesn’t want to sack Philippe Clement.

Even amidst the carnage of that Queen’s Park catastrophe at Ibrox they will do everything in their power to keep the Belgian in charge. After all, if Clement’s job security was based purely on results, he’d have been bagged long before now.

Just like Michael Beale before him, or Giovanni van Bronckhorst who took them to a European Final yet still paid the price for domestic demise. In their eyes, there are plenty of reasons not to pull the trigger. Firstly, finance. They can’t afford to get rid of him. Or, they could, but it would put a huge dent in the coffers.

Secondly, you can be pretty sure they made Clement a promise in the summer that, even when the going got tough, they’d stand by him. Call it a gentleman’s agreement. When he agreed to stay and front up a s**t show - which included a stadium not fit for purpose and a transfer kitty struggling to fill a piggy bank - there must have been assurances. Also, they'd need to find a replacement. Do they even trust themselves to get the next one right? Would you?

And on top of all that, Clement HAS added value to their squad list as well as earning them Europa League cash by miraculously leading them to a top-eight finish. So, every instinct in that Ibrox boardroom will be to hold fire for now. Taking the easy option is part of their MO.

But unfortunately for the blazers at the top of the marble staircase, it’s gone beyond that now. And right now, it feels like they have no other option than to part ways with the manager. Just a week ago this column talked up Clement and what he’s had to put up with since taking over. No other gaffer in the club’s history has had their hands tied behind their backs like he has.

Afte