Rangers show faint shoots of optimism amid Ibrox melodrama as Philippe Clement finds way to plug numerous leaks

At each other’s throats off the pitch – shoulder to shoulder on it.

It’s just as well relations in the Ibrox dressing room aren’t half as bad as dealings between those in the boardroom and the club’s biggest single shareholder or Rangers might be in an altogether bigger mess. Dave King has swept back into the Govan melodrama this week swinging insults at virtually every blazer in sight while at the same time demanding they hand back his old seat at the top of the table.

As a negotiating tactic, well, it’s certainly bold. But the chances of it succeeding are about as bleak as Philippe Clement’s Premiership title hopes this season. King will be told thanks but no thanks, with the men he left to steer the ship when he unexpectedly quit at the height of the Covid pandemic instead setting their own course forward.

Whether it’s the same disastrous route they’ve been following of late or a passage through calmer waters, that remains to be seen. But there is a feeling around Ibrox right now that as bad as this summer has been for the club and its supporters – and it has undoubtedly been awful – they might just have found a way to plug the club’s numerous leaks.

Having got the summer stadium shambles at long last sorted, the club will also need to address the shaky foundations upon which Clement’s side are built. But as with the matters above, there are faint shoots of optimism emerging.

Of course they remain a long, long, way off Celtic. But if Rangers are to close the gap on their rivals then they have to start somewhere and Clement will hope his side have finally reached the turning point. There’s still little sign of a fluent style of play but with individual performances, there are a few signs of encouragement.

Brazilian