Like Trump and Kamala, Clement has two weeks to prove he’s not just another also-ran

As the presidential election battle heats up across the Atlantic, Philippe Clement’s battle for the hearts and minds of Rangers supporters has never felt so dire.

One year after winning the approval of the Ibrox board in a landslide, the Belgian’s rating in his own constituency has fallen.

A season that promised so much was interrupted by disaster. The day after Celtic and Aberdeen opened the door with a draw against Parkhead, Sunday’s defeat to Kilmarnock was the equivalent of the Belgian tripping over a threshold during the hustings.

It wasn’t just the Ayrshire loss that drew the ire of the visiting supporters at full-time. It was the way.

The manager promised tangible signs of improvement at this point, but a passive, one-sided surrender was not what anyone had in mind.

Twelve months after Michael Beale was sacked after failing to make progress in the squad he inherited from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, many in the red, white and blue side are wondering why Clement should be treated differently.

While a lack of leadership at all levels within the club is one theory, no manager – even one who recently signed a new contract through 2028 – can survive such a staccato format indefinitely.

In the two weeks before America decides, Clement’s side face Steaua Bucharest, St Mirren, Aberdeen and Motherwell – the latter in the League Cup semi-final.

If there are no tangible signs of improvement during that period, recent history suggests that it’s not just 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that will witness change.

“Of course the fans are not happy now,” Clement said. ‘They were happy after, for example, Malmö (2-0 win in Sweden), so it goes up and down.

‘It’s about creating consistency and momentum again with the results, and then doing the right things within the club to create stability externally.

“So everyone has to work hard to achieve that in the coming weeks and months.”

For long-suffering supporters, the events surrounding the changing of the clocks in the fall become dull and familiar.

Three years ago, Steven Gerrard reached the November of his fourth season and then seized the opportunity to move to Aston Villa.

Despite winning the Scottish Cup and reaching the Europa League final, Van Bronckhorst was invited to clear his desk 12 months later.

Beale, the popular choice after returning to Ibrox under increasing pressure with Van Bronckhorst, did not even reach the annual mark. Clement reached that milestone last week, albeit without much fanfare.

Criticism of this rinse-repeat cycle and recognition of the damage it causes seems sensible in high summer. Not so much after a thoroughly desperate day in Ayrshire.

Those who reserve the right to change their minds are right to ask the man at the helm when – if ever – his promise of progress will become reality.

“These are good questions for anyone who has never been a manager or player,” Clement said.

‘Because there are so many circumstances outside your control, you can’t say that.

‘There are players who join a team and feel good from day one. There are other players who need three months. There are players who need six months.

‘They’re people. Those aren’t machines. So you can ask these questions and I understand, and everyone around the world does. There is no manager in the world who can say that for a transfer in this way.

‘We have done a lot. We also had to do a lot due to the circumstances. So it’s about working hard with the players, with the staff to get the players into their best shape as quickly as possible, feeling good in the club, bringing together the connections on the field, learning how to play together.

“There are so many things that need to be done and it’s just a small part of the whole list that needs to be done. That takes time. But can anyone predict how quickly that will happen? No.’

The problem for Clement is that the case against him did not just start on the first day of this season, when his team drew a clean sheet at Tynecastle.

After a commendable start to his tenure, which saw Rangers win the League Cup, the blunt truth is that the rot started when they lost at home to Motherwell on March 2.

Even allowing for personnel changes this summer, the demise is marked over a seven-month period.

“People who aren’t happy now were probably happy six months ago, nine months ago, very happy with me,” he shrugged.

‘I’m still the same man. I work even harder than I did at that moment because there are many more things to do, not only on the sporting side but also on the non-sporting side of the club.

“I throw myself into all those things because that’s how I commit myself in the summer and before the summer, in all those conversations, because I believe so much in this club and the potential it can have for the future and to get back to where it was first.”

You would never question his commitment or underestimate the magnitude of the task he has taken on.

But when the playing style is so difficult to define and the results and performances show no consistency, it is only natural to wonder if he will ever change this tanker.

He said: ‘We talked about – and I don’t want to repeat it too often – about a major rebuild in many respects, about cutting wages to make the club sustainable now and in the future, because decisions in the past have been taken. before the time I was here.

‘So I went into that story after long conversations for the long term, and also (committed) to making long-term decisions together with the team, together with the board towards that for the future.

“So we are working very hard with the players and everyone in the staff to get back as quickly as possible to the level this club was at maybe 12, 15 years ago.

‘That takes time and we are going to work hard on that. It’s a process you have to follow.’

John Bennett, the chairman who gave him a new contact, is no longer involved. John Gilligan, who has stepped into the breach, would clearly like nothing more than to see his predecessor’s faith vindicated.

With public opinion turning against him, Clement can only hope that he retains the votes of the figures at the club who really matter.

“Anyone who has done this job or worked in football knows that it takes time to rebuild – cutting wages and making the club sustainable and investing in young players for now and for the future.” Clement added.

‘You can’t do that in one, two, three months. That’s impossible.

‘We talked about that a lot last season and all the fans were behind the story.

‘I didn’t buy into the hype or the Harry Potter stories at that time. So I’m not going to get involved in the drama now. There is a big space in between and we are in that space.’