Philippe Clement throws Rangers sacking gauntlet to Patrick Stewart and board as he issues six word statement

Rangers manager Philippe Clement has responded to talk over him being sacked as Ibrox boss.

The Light Blues suffered their latest shock on home soil amid chat that 49ers Enterprises could soon takeover the club. St Mirren won 2-0 on the road to Govan to heap further pressure on the Belgian who has already recently lost to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup.

Celtic also lost to Hibs in the Premiership earlier on Saturday and failure to beat the Buddies means Rangers have not narrowed a gap which still stands at 13 points. Speaking after the game in his post-match press conference, the manager was asked about his future.

CEO Patrick Stewart backed his man this week but fresh questions have been asked amid more disappointment. Clement was probed on whether he understood that fans no longer want him as Rangers manager and his reply was a blunt six-word retort where he threw a gauntlet to Stewart and the club hierarchy. He said: “That’s a decision for the board.”

In another interview with Sportsound, Clement added: “I'm not busy with those questions or those things. I am busy finding solutions to get Rangers back to where they should be. We were very nervous from the start of the game on the ball, which created chances for the opponent. We had spells where we were better. But, by far, not good enough for the standards of Rangers.

"It is difficult to explain. Was it that they wanted to do too good, react and give the fans much more? We need to look at the root of the problem. At the end, it is my responsibility to get them with the right mindset on the pitch.

"There was fight. We were not collective enough with our strengths. Everyone wanted to force it too much on their own.

"I can only say sorry and apologise [to the Rangers fans] from me and the team. This is not what Rangers teams need to show on the pitch. We all know this was by far below the standards we all expect."