Sports
Philippe Clement identifies’massive’ Rangers reference point, tackles Hampden boos, and comments on Celtic final
Rangers’ win over Motherwell, which secured a Premier Sports Cup final meeting with Celtic, was viewed by Philippe Clement as potentially vital in the course of their season.
Cyriel Dessers and Nedim Bajrami’s goals overturned Andy Halliday’s first-half opener, securing Rangers’ return to Hampden on December 15. The result also relieves some of the pressure that had been building on Clement following recent league losses to Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, and the Belgian hoped to use his team’s performance, particularly in the second half, as a template for what he expects from them for the rest of the season.
He said: “We got where we want to be, which is the final. We had that amazing feeling together with the fans last season and we can battle for that again. That was the aim of today and it’s also a well-deserved victory in that way. But this needs to also be a reference for this new squad. To do what we did a lot last season which is to dig in and in every situation keep our belief, keep on going, keep on fighting and to break the wall if we go behind.