Patrick Stewart will clock on for work at his new job one week from today.
And, no matter what the next six days may hold in store, it seems more than likely that the new Rangers chief executive’s first big decision will centre around the immediate future of Philippe Clement. It could, of course, be an easy one. After chalking up four wins on the bounce with Sunday's winter day trip to Dingwall, Clement could make absolutely sure of that by avoiding defeat against the ghosts of Celtic past and present over the course of a potentially defining double header.
First Ange Postecoglou will return to Glasgow on Thursday night and even though the former Parkhead boss is now in charge of a Spurs side with a bipolar personality, the Big Aussie won’t be making the trip north looking to give Clement any seasonal gifts. A fleeting glimpse of this gruff, bearded old nemesis might send a shiver shuddering down the spines of those Rangers fans who grew thoroughly sick of the sight of him during his time in charge across the city.
Postecoglou caused them nothing but bother and embarrassment as he swept to five trophies out of six over that swashbuckling two year stint to such an extent that there was a feeling of considerable relief when he packed his bags and headed off to the big smoke. Had they been visited in the dead of night and given a look into the future then perhaps the joy of Postecoglou’s departure would have been heavily tempered.
Because Brendan Rodgers 2.0 hasn’t been a bunch of laughs for them either. And that’s why Clement goes into this festive period in a code red situation knowing he’s at high risk of a visit from the big man and a very different kind of sack.
If he can find a way to take even just a point off Postecoglu’s side then it would constitute a massive tick in Clement’s box, now that Stewart is marking the manager’s card. A draw at Ibrox on Thursday night would leave Rangers sitting on 11 points which is two more than statisticians and boffins calculated would all but guarantee a place in this season’s Europa League play-off round and a potential pathway into the last 16.
More than that, it would also keep them in the running for a top eight finish and a free pass straight into the later stages. And, in that context, it would seem more than a little uncharitable for Stewart to consider swinging the axe on the Belgian before the turkey is on the table.
And if Clement could back something like that up by dodging defeat at Hampden on Sunday, when his side will tackle Celtic for the first domestic trophy of the season, then he will effectively be home and hosed in terms of protecting his position. For the short to medium term at least. But there’s another possible scenario which is a lot more bloody with the potential to become catastrophic for Clement’s job prospects. And, in all probability, a whole lot more likely too.
If he is on the wrong end of something savage from Postecoglou - and let’s not forget Tottenham went to the Etihad a couple of weeks ago and romped to a 4-0 win over Manchester City - then Clement will be in serious trouble even before he comes face to face with Rodgers in Mount Florida on Sunday afternoon, when the Premier Sports Cup Final will be decided.
Either Clement will walk away from the national stadium clutching the trophy for a second time in 12 months, or Rodgers will have out manoeuvred him for a sixth successive derby. And that’s when Stewart really will have a decision to make.
Given the Aberdonian’s 18 years of experience at Old Trafford, it is to be assumed he will have his finger on the pulse when it comes to understanding the importance of winning at all costs. And if he thought it mattered for United’s supporters then he’s about to realise that those demands are even more heightened in this part of the world, where settling for second prizes is considered to be a sackable offence.
There are Rangers fans out there who, although their bravado might not let them admit it, are quietly terrified at the prospect of what Celtic might do to their team on the big stage at the weekend. Sunday’s stress free 3-0 victory might have helped improve the general mood but, should their worst fears be realised and Rodgers thunders off to a third trophy in 18 months back at the helm, then these same fans will reach the conclusion that Clement simply cannot be trusted to bridge the gap. If they have not done so already.
And, let’s be brutally honest, there has been very little evidence over these last 12 months that Clement might be capable of making a positive difference, even if he extended a decent recent run in Dingwall. His side continues to play without any defined, signature style and his decision making, judgement and team selections are so erratic and muddled they make him look like a manager who is being swallowed up in the responsibility of it all and struggling to keep his head above water.
Drowning man syndrome they call it. On a game by game basis, Clement is clinging on for dear life to whatever he thinks might help him stay afloat. Ianis Hagi, for example, has become the personification of Clement’s latest lifebelt.
Three months ago the manager humiliated the Romanian in public by saying Hagi was not talented enough to hold down the position as a No.10 in a Rangers side. And that he never would be. And now here we are, with Hagi holding down a starting place as the creator in chief for Clement’s side and proving that the man in charge didn’t know what he was talking about in the first place.
It was Clement who chose not to include Hagi and Brazilian striker Danilo in his European squad and that too looks like biting the boss on the backside now that both of them have re-emerged as key men in his strongest line-up.They will, however, be fit and fully rested for Hampden on Sunday and how ironic it would be if they were to combine to bail the Belgian out in his hour of need.
One way or another, decision time for the new chief executive is likely to come sooner than later.
