NEW Rangers manager Philippe Clement has been told he needs to become a figurehead for the Ibrox club in the coming months if he wants his team to supplant Celtic as the dominant force in the Scottish game.
Clement, who replaced Michael Beale earlier this month, got his reign off to a positive start on Saturday when he oversaw an emphatic 4-0 triumph over Hibernian at home in the cinch Premiership.
The Belgian, who has had spells in charge of Beveren, Genk and Club Brugge in his homeland and Monaco in France in the past, will attempt to build on the result in the Europa League match against Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic on Thursday night.
Former Rangers captain Dave Mackinnon believes the Glasgow club can, despite the underwhelming impact that many of Beale’s summer signings have made and the three Premiership defeats they have suffered to date, come from seven points behind and land the Scottish title this season.
However, Mackinnon has stressed that Clement, who presided over three consecutive Belgian Pro League triumphs, has to be far more than just a coach to land silverware and enjoy success in this country.
“The club needs a leader,” he said. “If you look back at when Rangers were on top of the Premiership and were doing well in Europe, they had a leader. They need a leader, a strong character, to take the club forward. They need a manager who is a figurehead, not just a coach.
“Look back at the successful managers Rangers have had over the years – Graeme Souness, Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat and even Steven Gerrard – that is what they were. That is key, it is hugely important.
“Somebody said to me the other day, ‘the league is finished’. It isn’t. There are still another three Old Firm games. If you win them then you are right back in things. I don’t think the players are as bad as everyone is making out.
“When you come in to a club like Rangers, a lot of players don’t quite understand the size of the club and what they have to achieve. If Clement becomes the leader they need it will be interesting to see what they can do.”
Mackinnon, who worked as an executive at Hamilton and Morton since retiring from playing and has just published his autobiography Slide Tackles and Boardroom Battles, also reckons Rangers chairman John Bennett has to map out a long-term vision for the Ibrox club as well.
“Celtic have taken things to a different level by aligning everything in their club in the right way,” he said. “It will be a big task catching them. But if Rangers get the personnel right and get the right messages out, say what they want to be and how they want to achieve it, then I think they can do that.
“Clubs need to align every aspect of their organisation, from the boardroom, from the chief executive, to the manager, to the players, to the fans. Everybody needs to have the same objective. There needs to be a clear vision for the club.
“I don’t know if Rangers have quite done that yet. What is their short-term objective? What is their long-term vision? I am sure they have a plan, but in order to progress that they need to make it public.
“John Bennett is a great guy and his heart is genuinely in the right place. He genuinely wants success for the club. But unless there is a clear vision right throughout the entire club, players will drift in and out of games, will not understand what they have to achieve. It is difficult to know from the outside, but that is perhaps part of the problem.
“I think a clear statement of what their objectives are on and off the park is a huge thing. The fans have to be part of it as well. I have been at many clubs where fan involvement is a huge part of the success. If they know what they are trying to achieve they will get behind the club. At the moment, I don’t know if they have got that message.”
