Yahoo News Philippe Clement tells Rangers stars what they MUST do on Ibrox return as exile endgame comes with caveat
It's been 130 days since Rangers last ran out at Ibrox but for Philippe Clement, it’s felt a lot longer. And no wonder.
In the time since James Bisgrove booked himself on the first flight to Saudi Arabia after realising he’d made a right royal balls up with his late steel shipment order, Rangers’ world has collapsed about as quickly as, well, their defence did at Parkhead. They’ve lost hundreds of thousands having to hire out Hampden, waved goodbye to a £40million Champions League bonanza and watched as hopes of a mounting a credible title challenge to Celtic were made to look like pie in the sky by Brendan Rodgers’ rampant Hoops … and all within the first month of the season.
With the addition of chairman John Bennett’s enforced resignation on health grounds amid intolerable levels of strain, it’s no wonder the days have dragged in like a decade for Gers’ Belgian boss. But the return to Ibrox at last offers a chink of blue sky through the dark clouds currently sitting over Govan.
Speaking ahead of the Premier Sports Cup homecoming clash against Dundee, the relieved Rangers gaffer said: “To be honest, it's a buzz. You feel it in the building. I was there yesterday and you get a special feeling coming back there.
"I know it's the same with all the players. I feel it already this week in the training. It gives something extra and I think it will be with all the fans also.
“It's like coming home after a really long time. It feels like we haven't been there for 10 years or something. It's not that long but we have that feeling so we're really happy that we can be back there. Of course it always helps to be home with the enthusiasm of the fans and in that way, Hampden was more difficult and we know why. For sure, at Ibrox, with so many passionate people, it's always a big help to play there and to have that support. It's different.”
The longer-serving members of Clement’s squad will know the energising effect Ibrox can have on performance levels. But Clement has been careful to warn this summer’s nine new recruits that the old place also has the power to intimidate those lacking strength of mind.
"I don't think you can put into words [what Ibrox is like],” he said. “It's a feeling that you need to experience. Of course I talked about that before they came in. In the positive moments but also in the moments when it's difficult.
“Ibrox can also be difficult if you're not performing. So they need to be ready for that also and to perform well. So it needs to be an extra motivation in that way.”
Having handed back the keys to Hampden, the League Cup holders are now looking to return to the National Stadium as they prepare for the quarterfinal crunch with Tony Docherty’s Dark Blues. It may have been a troubled start to the season but Clement is refusing to lower his expectations for this year’s tournament.
He said: "You know me already now. I want to win everything. That's the goal of everything I do in life. I want to see that with my team also. It's another competition where you go full to the victory.
"Some of them had the feeling already last season. We have a lot of new faces in the building but they all know already that, for me, every game is with the same importance and we want to win everything. That's where we put the bar for ourselves. It's the next challenge."
