Rangers manager Philippe Clement raised eyebrows and chuckles across the Celtic support with his bizarre post-match comments following his side’s 3-0 victory over Ross County. Speaking about Rangers’ upcoming clashes with Tottenham and Celtic, the Belgian surprisingly opted to bring up budgets instead of rallying his squad or instilling confidence.
“These are totally different kind of games, maybe we need to say financially out of our league,” Clement told Sky Sports, a statement that smacks of resignation more than ambition.
Hearing an Ibrox manager so openly lean on financial disparity as an excuse, especially ahead of a cup final against Celtic, is hardly a ringing endorsement of his team’s chances. He’s clearly trying to create a narrative around the games to insulate himself from any sort of criticism.
The irony wasn’t lost on fans either. Clement made his remarks in the tunnel at Dingwall, having just beaten a Ross County side operating on a fraction of Rangers’ budget. It’s a stark contrast to Celtic’s approach, where success is built on maximising resources rather than lamenting them. The Hoops have carefully crafted their budget by managing their club well; that cannot be said for the unfortunate team across the city.
While Clement’s admission might be aimed at tempering expectations for Thursday’s Europa League clash against Spurs, it feels misplaced in the context of the League Cup final.
Celtic will be taking nothing for granted, knowing the nature of one-off games at Hampden, but Clement’s pre-emptive budget excuse isn’t exactly inspiring confidence in his own players or fans. Perhaps it’s a comfort blanket for some. We all know when the two teams are out on the pitch next Sunday, there will be zero talk of budgets, just two teams and two fan bases going for it.
For Celtic supporters, his remarks provide yet another example of the defeatist mentality creeping into Ibrox. As Ange Postecoglou often said during his tenure, it’s not about what you don’t have—it’s about what you do. Clement could do worse than heed that advice.
