Philippe Clement decides to end his managerial career at Ibrox. Brendan Rodgers and Celtic will make sure of that

You might wonder why the heading in my article states that Philippe Clement has decided to end his managerial career at Ibrox?

Well, it’s because that’s the unfortunate reality for Clement.

Once his time is up at Ibrox, his career will be over.

The likelihood is that Brendan Rodgers and Celtic will finish that career for him.

The statistics don’t lie.

Here’s why.

Since the new club started playing in 2012, there have been 10 managers in charge of the club.

Only 2 of those 10 are now employed as first team coaches.

Ironically, Pedro Caixinha, a man who contributed greatly to the banter years, is in the most high profile role of any of those 10 managers.

He is now manager of Red Bull Bragantino, who currently sit 2nd in Série A, which is the Brazilian top flight.

Granted, his team may be 9 points behind Botafogo, but he is still doing well.

He may not have been the fool we thought he was after all, either that, or he became a fool in a pantheon of fools at Ibrox.

I’ve often said that place does strange things to sane men.

It will be interesting to see what it does to Phillipe Clement, who is reported to be a pretty laid back guy.

He might not be laid back for very much longer.

The other manager who is currently in a job, is of course, Steven Gerrard, who follow followed the money to Saudi Arabia to manage Al-Ettifaq FC .

Well, it certainly wasn’t to enhance his managerial status, that’s for sure.

Apparently Clement was offered a gig there too.

Al-Shabab FC were very interested in acquiring his services.

Clement, however, chose Ibrox.

The club where 80% of the managers who took the role on since 2012 are now jobless.

I guess Clement has faith in his own ability to turn things around at Ibrox.

He has won league titles in his homeland.

He won the Belgian Pro-League 3 times, twice with Club Brugge and once with Genk.

That has to be respected as the Belgian Pro-League is of a decent standard.

However, when he stepped up to Ligue 1 in France with AS Monaco, it was a step too far.

He has been out of work since June of this year.

Despite finishing in a respectable 6th place in Ligue 1, Monaco dispensed with his services at the start of the summer just past.

Ultimately, it was his inability to qualify for Europe that cost him in the end.

He now takes over an Ibrox side which is all over the place.

They are 7 points behind Celtic in the League.

Bear in mind that Celtic have built up this lead during a period where the club was decimated with injuries.

On top of that, in the early part of the season, players were struggling to adjust to Brendan Rodgers’ playing style.

Many found it hard to adjust to the slower pace of Rodgers’ style, after the free flowing, fast paced attacking style that Ange Postecoglou had implemented.

However, Clement has arrived at Ibrox just as the Celtic injury crisis is almost at an end, and the players are now well and truly starting to embrace Rodgers’ style of football.

Celtic are just starting to come into form, with a 7 point lead to boot.

Philippe Clement must relish a challenge, because he’s just taken on the biggest one he’ll have faced in his managerial career.

He will be expected to hit the ground running, despite the fact Beale’s signings look like a busted flush.

There will be no honeymoon or settling in period.

Maybe, like Rodgers, he’s the kind of manager who can get a tune out of players others were unable to.

Except that he’ll need to get a tune out of 75 – 80% of the current Ibrox squad.

He’ll also be expected to win the League Cup Final, there will be no exception here.

Without Celtic in the competition, failure here, is not an option.

He cannot afford to lose another league game between now and the next time we play them.

Granted, we have a couple of tricky fixtures away to both Edinburgh sides upcoming, but both of these sides have not been in great form.

On current form, I’m confident enough that we should be able to take the points from both sides.

The Ibrox side play Hibernian at home and then Dundee away.

Clement will be expected to deliver that “new manager bounce”.

In reality, he will have no other choice.

He will not be allowed to say he “inherited the gap” between him and Celtic.

That excuse was already used by Michael Beale, it won’t be accepted again this time around.

Imagine taking on a new role as a football manager, and being told you will not be allowed the time required to bed in?

That you will not be allowed to lose one more game in this campaign, let alone two!

Because if you do, the fans will turn on you.

The boos and the jeers will ring out once again at Ibrox.

And when that happens, we all know what follows it, don’t we?

Just ask Michael Beale, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst before him what happens.

For Clement, there is no margin for error.

If he comes to Celtic Park in December in double figures behind Celtic, and having lost the League Cup final, he might not survive into the new year.

That is the madness and insanity he has chosen to step into at Ibrox.

Then again, he may just surprise us all.

He’ll need to, if he is to have any hope of surviving the hornets nest that is Ibrox.

I’d wish him luck, but it isn’t in my nature to wish anybody at that club luck.

It’s sink or swim for Clement, and like a hapless gambler who bets his house on the flop, the Belgian has just bet his managerial career on becoming a success at Ibrox.

See how that turned out for 80% of the previous management?

I don’t see it changing any time soon.

Ah well, I suppose his cardigan will go down well with the Peepul.

They do love a good cardigan at Ibrox.