Philippe Clement’s future at Rangers now seems all but sealed following his side’s shock Scottish Cup exit to Queens Park.
On Sunday, 9 February, the Gers fielded a heavily rotated team at Ibrox and were left reeling when Seb Drozd’s 69th-minute goal proved to be the difference. Adding insult to injury, James Tavernier’s missed penalty—saved heroically by Calum Ferrie in the dying moments—appeared to finalize the Belgian’s fate.
Throughout the 90 minutes in front of a stunned Ibrox crowd, the match unfolded in a way that could well represent the final nail in the coffin for Clement’s tenure.
The Belgian has been a divisive figure all season, and this disastrous campaign has only deepened the rift between him and the Rangers supporters. In recent weeks, planned protests against him have already signaled widespread discontent. Now, with the shock exit from the Scottish Cup, fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) on 9 February to vent their frustration. One supporter stated, “It doesn’t matter when it happens; it should now be inevitable. Philippe Clement’s time as Rangers manager is over. No one should have to endure this, especially with zero credit in the bank. Get him out.”
After a season of extreme highs and lows, losing at home to a Scottish Championship side may be the final straw. With the club languishing 13 points behind Celtic in the Premiership and having suffered a penalty shootout defeat in the Scottish League Cup final against their Glasgow rivals, there is little to suggest a turnaround is possible under Clement.
While recent positive news—like securing a top-eight finish in the Europa League—offered a glimmer of hope, the remaining challenges in Europe’s second-tier competition make it highly unlikely that Rangers will reach another final, as they did under Giovanni van Bronckhorst in 2022. The Scottish Cup represented the last opportunity for the Gers to end the 2024/25 season with a trophy, and now that hope is gone.
The stark gap to Celtic in the league and the previous shootout loss to the Hoops underscore that Clement is no longer the long-term answer for bringing glory back to Ibrox. The defeat against Queens Park should not be allowed to pass without severe repercussions—if that fixture were played 100 times, the home side should win almost every time.
Even the most optimistic supporter cannot justify Clement staying on for the remainder of the campaign. History suggests the board might normally give a manager another chance, but not this time. His time at Rangers is over, and he must be let go.
