'No credit in bank': Embattled Rangers boss assesses Celtic title fight and explains why win did not come
Gers boss reacts to draw with Dundee Utd as pressure grows
Philippe Clement insisted Rangers won’t give up in their forlorn pursuit of the title but conceded that his team has already dropped too many points and no longer had any “credit in the bank”.
The 1-1 draw with Dundee United – Vaclav Cerny cancelled out Sam Dalby’s first-half opener – actually saw Rangers gain a point on second-placed Aberdeen but Clement knew that this had been another missed opportunity in an underwhelming campaign.
Clement, who could be soon working under a new chairman after Lord Offord of Garvel was linked with the post, was disappointed with his team’s first-half display that saw them booed off the pitch but wouldn’t throw in the towel in the championship chase, even if many Rangers supporters have long since given up.
“Fans can think what they want and that's their right also but I never give up if something is still possible,” said the Belgian. “But it’s very frustrating to lose points - we’ve already lost too many points this season. So, we know we don't have credit in the bank.
“We’re not where we want to be as a club. We knew that before this game. So, in that way, it's two points lost again that we cannot lose. Last season these kinds of games we won every time, even when it was difficult. We could push things over the line.
“In the first half I was not satisfied. I didn't see enough bravery, enough movement, enough initiative of the team. So, we need to show more of what we did in the second half and that's what we need to show more in the future
“If they [the fans] see this from the team over 90 minutes, we’re going to win again. We're working very hard on that with the squad to get that kind of football again and to make it better.
“We need to have that level much more in the next couple of months and take much more points. Of course, it's a big gap. You don't know what other teams and how many points they might lose along the way. But we need to get more points.”
Clement insisted the lackadaisical first-team performance was not down to his players’ commitment or mindset. “No, it’s not attitude,” he added. “It's more thinking too much, not [showing] enough initiative. Some players not [being] available enough and not enough quality on the ball, losing too easy balls, and giving too many bad passes. There was also a really good goalkeeper on the other side today, who was important in a few really good saves.”
United’s preparations were hampered after their journey to Ibrox was held up due to the weather and an accident that led to kick-off being delayed 45 minutes. Jim Goodwin admitted the circumstances had been far from ideal but praised his players for turning their frustration into a hard-earned draw.
The United manager said: “We're really pleased to take a point away from the game, especially given the situation prior and how poor the preparation was. I said to the players that you find out a lot about yourselves in moments of adversity, individually and collectively as a group.
“I said we can we go out there and dig deep and the players did that each to a man. It was a real collective effort.”
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