Philippe Clement respects 'complex' Rangers-Celtic rivalry as meeting left off limits - but snappers miss Brendan Rodgers rendez-vous

Belgian has not even been able to have dinner with his old boss due to Old Firm politics

There are always some very welcome journalistic interlopers present at a pre-Old Firm game press conference, attracted by the size, passion and no doubt historical baggage of the fixture.

It was no different on Friday, with Philippe Clement preparing for his first experience of the match from a home manager’s perspective. One reporter, from German public-service broadcaster ARD, had travelled from Hamburg to gather footage for a series on the world’s great football derbies, which could hardly fail to include a large segment on Rangers v Celtic.

Less likely to appear is Nice v AS Monaco, that less than febrile French Riviera derby that Clement sampled while manager of AS Monaco. “It’s totally the opposite world so I forget that period in that way,” he reflected later, when asked how the clash compares to its grittier, if soggier, Glasgow equivalent. Anderlecht v Club Brugge, which he experienced as both a player and manager, was closer in terms of intensity. “It was life or death for fans of both sides,” he said.

Rangers manager Philippe Clement will experience his first home Old Firm derby on Sunday.

Even then, it's in a different ballpark to what he's encountered in Glasgow. Clement is speaking from an educated position having been in the dugout at his first Old Firm match in December. Although it wasn’t a happy debut, with Rangers beaten 2-1, it has provided him with valuable expertise that he lacked prior to the New Year clash, after which Celtic were sitting eight points clear at the top having played two games more than their rivals. Since then, Rangers have taken 30 points from a possible 33, scoring more goals (five) in the process than Celtic and conceding one fewer.

It's not been quite enough to elevate Rangers above the champions, although they will make the leap with a win at Ibrox today in the penultimate league meeting of the season. With Clement's side having a game in hand, it would place them in a very healthy position. It would also help further burnish the Belgian's reputation amongst the Ibrox faithful.

Nevertheless, he remains acutely aware that normal rules must apply – no fraternising with the enemy. This still stands even if they are old pals from the past and the relationship comfortably pre-dates their respective Old Firm periods of service, which in Clement's case is ongoing.

Gordon Strachan, on the other hand, left Celtic 15 years ago. He has been Scotland manager in the interim and is currently technical director at Dundee, his first club. All this might just about be palatable if not for the fact that, while his own ties to Celtic are historic, Strachan remains bound to the club in the eyes of many through his son Gavin's presence as a member of current manager Brendan Rodgers' backroom staff. It means dinner dates with Clement, who Strachan signed while Coventry City manager in the late 1990s, are off the menu for the time being. The Belgian understands.

Clement and Brendan Rodgers recently met at Hampden Park during Scotland v Northern Ireland.

This isn't Monaco, where few would notice and less would care if he was spotted breaking bread with someone with ties, current or otherwise, to Nice, AS Monaco's Cote d'Azur rivals. Glasgow operates by a different code of conduct. “I know in this city it’s complex, apparently,” said Clement. “I even saw an interview with Gordon Strachan, who was my gaffer and who I had a really good relationship with. It’s not allowed here in Glasgow to have dinner together because his son is working in the coaching staff at Celtic.

“That’s a pity,” Clement added. Asked about Ally McCoist's much publicised – and presumably instantly regretted – declaration that he'll breach recently enshrined Hate Act legislation along with everyone else at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon, Clement stressed that he was “always against hate – I am a positive person, as everyone knows”.

As passionate about football as the Belgian clearly is, he might prefer a world where the game – and other associated elements – could be left at the restaurant door. “I think you need to have this rivalry but outside it’s still a possibility for me (to socialise) but apparently in this city, (it's) not,” he said. “And so I adapt in that way. I respect the city and I respect our fans. So we will keep it in the way it always was.”

The way it always was does not necessarily mean keeping his distance from Rodgers, his opposite number. Gio van Bronckhorst and Ange Postecoglou were even photographed together in a Glasgow café while they were on opposite sides of the great divide. It’s surprising no pictures have emerged of Clement and Rodgers, since their most recent meeting was not the last Old Firm clash in December. It turns out they ran into each other at Hampden last month.

Clement has not been able to meet up with former boss Gordon Strachan, above.

“We don’t know each other really well personally,” said Clement. “I met him at the Celtic game, of course. I know his career. I have a lot of respect for that and all the things that he has achieved in his career. We met each other also at Hampden for the national team game Scotland against Northern Ireland. We saw each other (and) spoke for a short while.”

In this camera-phone era, it seems a minor miracle no evidence has emerged, although really, why should it even be an issue? Tommy Burns and Walter Smith managed to remain friends after all. Clement and Rodgers have a lot in common, including a passion for developing young footballers. The Belgian watched two of them – former AS Monaco centre-halves Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi – play for Chelsea in Wednesday’s epic victory over Manchester United as he received a perhaps timely reminder that matches can last for 100 plus minutes these days.

What will happen afterwards, who knows? So much is spoken and written about an Old Firm game yet it's not clear what the protocol is between rival managers. Given the historic enmity, can they reunite for a drink following the final whistle, as is often the case elsewhere? Or is this another area where Glasgow rules apply?

Did they share a brew – or something stronger – after the last contentious meeting, when Clement was angered by the process that led to his team being denied a first-half penalty following Alistair Johnston’s handball? No, he revealed. “But there’s only been one – this is the second one. We will see. It depends on the result!”

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