The Australian was a major candidate until Clement secured the job
Philippe Clement has been informed that he is “under huge pressure,” and Kevin Muscat is once again being considered as a possible Rangers managerial option.
The former Ibrox defender, however, may already have the Light Blues’ response after the Australian was passed over in favour of the Belgian. Following Michael Beale’s dismissal in October of last year, Muscat, the manager of Yokohama F. Marinos, became one of the top candidates to take over as host with the massive Scottish Premiership team. Muscat had already won the J-League in 2022 and placed second in 2023.
Despite speaking to Rangers chiefs at the time, they opted to give the job to Clement – who is now facing increased scrutiny in the wake of defeat to Kilmarnock that leaves the Light Blues six points off Celtic and Aberdeen at the top of the table. In contrast, Muscat took over at Shanghai Port in China after leaving Yokohama – with the club battling for the Super League title andthe Chinese FA Cup Final to look forward to next month.
Given that China’s domestic season ends in December, some supporters have urged Rangers to pursue the manager position. However, just last month, Craig Moore, a former teammate, ruled out the possibility of Muscat moving to Govan.
“He had two interviews at the time and he lost and he was devastated to lose out to Philippe Clement,” Musca’s close ally said to Go Radio. He believed it would have been a fantastic job and a tremendous chance for him, but that ship has long since sailed and Kevin is now doing a great job in China.
The likelihood that Clement will be fired by Christmas is decreasing, which has led to speculation about his future. Former Gers striker Ross McCormack believes there are several reasons why the manager is being scrutinised more closely. He stated on the Scottish Football podcast hosted by the BBC: “He must be under a lot of strain.
“At the end of the previous season, they were the clear favourites to win the league; they were in the lead, but they let it slip.” That is all there is to it. Although they are in the Europa League, the season hasn’t gotten off to a terrific start.
Celtic has a distinct style of play and identity; I don’t see Rangers having something similar. He also mentioned that it doesn’t work to shift Tavernier up into right midfield.
“Taverner performs better when he enters the game with grass in front of him than when you give him the ball and he has someone up his ass. It appears as though the management is trying to fit square pegs into round holes when things aren’t going smoothly.”
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