Rangers CEO explains Clement backing after 'shame' of Scottish Cup exit

Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart has admitted that the Ibrox side’s cup loss to Queen’s Park was “a source of shame” but says he didn’t want to jeopardise potential progress in Europe by sacking Philippe Clement.

The 1-0 home defeat to Championship opposition effectively ended Rangers’ hopes of domestic silverware this season and hit a historic low as the first time the team had been defeated in the cup by a lower-league side at Ibrox.

Angry supporters demanded that Clement be removed from his position but the Belgian boss was given the backing of the chief executive, who has previously said that changing manager is not an easy solution to what he believes are deep-rooted issues at the club.

Stewart has now spoken at length about the cup humiliation and the manager’s position. He says that Rangers’ progress to the last 16 of the Europa League has counted in Clement’s favour and that changing manager could damage the side’s ambitions in that competition.

In an interview with Rangers’ in-house media channel, the chief executive admitted that the fallout from the cup defeat had effects far beyond the manager and his players and that he didn’t underestimate how big a blow it was.

“It’s the first time we’ve got out to lower league opposition at home in the Scottish Cup,” Stewart told Rangers TV. “That is not lost on me.

“That’s obviously a source of shame for the club.

“Clearly, there’s financial impact as well, but more importantly, it was a really good opportunity to win a trophy. And that’s now gone. So it’s impacted everyone at the club.

“Let’s be clear. Obviously, for everyone at Auchenhowie and also around the club, it has impacted morale. And serious questions have been asked. So, yeah, it’s a massive blow.”

Questioned specifically about why Clement remained in post after a defeat that many fans felt was serious enough to warrant an instant dismissal after a difficult season until now, Stewart said that he wouldn’t necessarily take “popular decisions” for “quick wins”.

“We have been underperforming as a club for several seasons now, and that’s not down to a manager,” he said. “We’ve changed the manager, and it’s not made a difference.

“But what I’m doing now is I’m looking at the root causes of that. And until we sort those root causes, then it’s akin to trying to fix a broken house and starting with a ceiling.

“Instead of starting with the root foundations, I’m going into the foundations and having a really good look at this. So that’s the first reason.

“Secondly, look for all the Queen’s Park result was disastrous. I think we do also have to give credit to Philippe and the team for the Europa League run.

“We had a really tough draw. Four of the top eight we played against and we finished in the top eight. So they deserve real credit for that.

“And I don’t want to take a step that would further progress in the Europa League at risk.

“So that’s another reason for why we continue to keep Philippe in his role.

“I’ve said this before. I am not here to make popular decisions and get quick wins. I do not want to repeat the mistakes of the past. I’m not going to do that.

“I’ve got to keep real discipline and focus on making sure that we are making the right decisions in the right order for the long-term benefit of the club and not reacting to what was, frankly, a disastrous result.”

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Stewart has previously expressed his view that the club needs to address issues that can account for the team’s problems in recent years. He commissioned a review of the football department, with external consultants making an assessment about changes that need to be made.

The chief executive revealed that one of the improvements relates to the structure behind the scenes and that Rangers will now look to recruit a sporting director.

Nils Koppen was recently promoted from his role as recruitment chief to the position of technical director and Stewart was keen to stress that this new role above the Dutchman would provide clarity and support the work already being done.

“We’re beginning to get some real sort of tangible insights [from the review] that are flowing into real recommendations that we’re starting to action,” the chief executive said. “And the most significant action that has arisen from this is that we’ve identified the need to appoint somebody that has got responsibility for the entire football operation throughout the club.

“So we are now in the market for a sporting director, and that role will put somebody right at the top of the football tree, an experienced football person at the top of the tree that will be responsible for all aspects of the football club to make sure that they’re working together, towards a fulfilling, holistic joint plan.

“If you look at the elite European football clubs, most of them will have a single person that is responsible for the entirety of the football operations.

“So we’re something of an outlier not having one at the moment. So that’s why we’re going to that model. But I’m glad you asked about Nils. He was brought in to do player recruitment, and when there were some senior departures in the football area, Nils stepped up and brought some stability and also some leadership.

“I’m really grateful to him for doing that. Also, Nils has performed really strongly in player recruitment, and I think the results of that we can see with some of the players we’ve got in the squad at the moment that have been brought in under his watch.

“So Nils is somebody I really highly. But the sporting director will complement his role because it will allow him to focus on what he was hired to do, which is recruit players.

“In a wider context, he’ll also manage squad player planning and also the player trading model that’s been often referred to.”

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