Philippe Clement told what he must do to keep Rangers job with January signings still ON despite 'financial plight'

Under-fire Philippe Clement has been told he can't afford to drop he can't afford to drop any more points in the league before the Premier Sports Cup final against Celtic.

The Belgian is running the gauntlet at Ibrox with the Light Blues trailing Brendan Rodgers' side and Aberdeen in the Premiership title race by nine points before the Scottish top flight went into cold storage during the international break. Rangers signed off for the two week break with a narrow win over struggling Hearts with former Gers attacker Steven Thompson insisting that the Belgian is still on the brink of the axe.

Rangers face Dundee United, St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Ross County in the league all before they face off against the Hoops in the Hampden showpiece. Asked how much his future as Rangers boss could depend on seeing off Celtic at the national stadium, Thompson told the BBC's Scottish football podcast: "It's a big game for him, but I'm not sure he can lose many more points in the league.

"I think if he loses another game in the league you could be looking at problems for him. If they get to that game and they are still in the mix it is a huge game for him."

The need for improvement comes with the January transfer window fast approaching. It could be a tough market for Rangers in January with the board revealing an operating loss of £17.2million in the most recent financial year that were published last month.

Pressed on the potential plans for January - with Dave Cormack potentially opening his cheque book to fund an Aberdeen title tilt - fellow pundit Billy Dodds said: "They will do some business, get a few out and get a few in. I don't think they will throw money at it.

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