Philippe Clement could face pressure from Rangers sacking amid Michael Stewart’s ‘huge’ vision
Rangers’ Scottish League Cup semi-final against Hearts next week is a “huge” game for both teams, according to Michael Stewart..
Rangers face Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday (October 29) before meeting Steven Naismith’s side at Hampden Park next Sunday (November 5)..
In between is a trip to Dundee for the Light Blues, but ahead of the two semi-finals, with Hibernian and Aberdeen the remaining, Stewart has shared his take on the matches..
Speaking on BBC’s Sportscene on Saturday (October 28) about Hibs’ upcoming Scottish League Cup semi-final, Stewart said:
“Huge..
“The two semi-finals taking place next weekend will be huge matches for everyone involved..”
If Philippe Clement fails to get Rangers to the Scottish League Cup final – let alone victory – he could find himself under pressure at Ibrox..
This is the minimum for the new Gers boss to win this match after Kilmarnock eliminated Celtic early..
But if he doesn’t even make it to the final, it will be seen as a criminal failure by the fans – and perhaps by the management too..
Clement has started life well at Ibrox.
He oversaw a resounding 4-0 win over Hibs last week and did well to get a point in the Europa League away at Sparta Prague on Thursday.
Jack Butland saved the day in the Czech Republic but the Belgian’s options were limited due to injuries and Michael Beale’s stupid decision to not register left-back Ridvan Yilmaz for the competition.
We don’t have any doubts about Clement at the moment but this next week is huge for him because there’s a double-header against Hearts with a trip to Dundee in between.
While there won’t be too many on his backs if he doesn’t pick up six points from the six available in the next two games, he won’t be forgiven if Rangers fail to quality for the Scottish League Cup final against either Hibs or Aberdeen.
Rangers haven’t won this cup since the 2010/11 season and have only reached two finals since then, losing to Celtic on both occasions.
But Celtic aren’t there this time so failure is really not an option.
If Clement cannot win this – what can he win?
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