Philippe Clement makes 'massive' Rangers finances claim as he Ibrox comparison made to sum up major achievement
Philippe Clement has been dissecting Rangers 2-1 Europa League win vs Union Saint-Gilloise that secured progress to the last-16
Thrilled Philippe Clement is adamant Rangers’ squad mentality has been key to securing a top-fight finish in the Europa League standings.
Goals from Nicolas Raskin and Vaclav Cerny in either half was enough to see off dogged Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise 2-1 at Ibrox after Kevin Mac Allister had set up a tense ending, with the victory plus results elsewhere ensuring the Light Blues avoided having to go through a two-legged play-off tie.
Instead, Rangers will now face one of Anderlecht (Belgium), FK Bodo/Glimt (Norway), FC Twente (Netherlands) or Fenerbahce (Turkey) in March depending who progresses from their play-off fixtures.
Asked for his immediate reaction to booking their place in the round of 16, a delighted Clement told TNT Sports: “I’m super proud of this team. Not only being top eight but also the quality of the teams behind. It’s a massive achievement for the whole squad.
“The whole squad was necessary. Leon King couldn’t see anymore, Ross McCausland had to come on at full-back. We had to be very creative the last few months but we’ve done it brilliantly. It gives their performance even more importance.
“The squad mentality. Like I’ve said so many times it was a rebuild in the summer. We needed to give people time to adapt in the dressing room. Maybe we don’t have the talent of other teams - but it’s about mentality. The belief was there from the first day but it’s about digging in and giving everything we have.
“Massive clubs with massive budget have finished behind us, and around us, so the achievement is only bigger by beating four of the seven top teams.”
Addressing the media in his post-match press conference, Clement went into more detail about the scale of their achievement and what it means for the club going forward. He added: “It’s not about me, I’m not in this story. You can write whatever you want, I know what we’re doing with the club.
We explained at the beginning of the season what this club needed, not my choice, the board’s choice. They asked me if I wanted to step into this very, very challenging project and I did and I do and I will be on the barricades for this club.
“It’s good people start to see more and more, things a few months ago people maybe didn’t believe. Qualification in this Europa League is one of these things. The club is on the right way. Is it fast enough to win everything? That’s our ambition. We need to create this culture and more and more I see it. They know what it means to play for this club.”