The decision of the Rangers to keep the manager Philippe Clement despite the loss of the “disastrous” Scottish Cup against Queen’s Park is about “the long -term interest of the club, not saving money”, according to executive president Patrick Stewart.
Stewart spoke in an interview on the club’s website only a few hours before the Rangers responded to a newspaper report that claimed acquisition conversations with a consortium backed by the president of the San Francisco 49ers and the president of the Leeds United, Forag Marath, they are in an advanced stage.
“It is not our policy to comment on speculation,” a spokesman told pa Media. “If there were such discussions, they would remain confidential.”
The defeat of Ibrox on the side of the Queen’s Park championship intensified the pressure on Clement, with Rangers also behind Celtic for 13 points in the Premier League.
However, the Rangers have reached last 16 in the Europa League, another reason cited by Stewart for keeping the Belgian.
“We have had a lower performance for several seasons now and that is not due to a manager,” he said. “We have changed the manager and has not made the difference.
“Until we order the root causes, then it is similar to trying to fix a broken house and start with the roof instead of starting the foundations.
“For everything that the result of the Queen’s Park was disastrous, we also have to give credit to Philippe and the Europa League race team. I do not want to take a step that puts more progress in the Europa League.”
