Sport
Chief observes a significant shift in the Rangers fan base as he responds to the Celtic outcome.
Philippe Clement has told Rangers fans they are breathing confidence into his title-chasing squad after the Ibrox side cut the gap on Celtic to three points.
The Light Blues took full advantage of their Old Firm rivals’ 1-1 draw at managerless Aberdeen today by getting the job done against Livingston with a comfortable 3-0 victory. Gers, who have a game in hand, now have the chance to go top of the table on Tuesday night when they host the Dons – with Celts in action 24 hours later at Easter Road.
It’s an incredible turn of fortunes in Govan, with Clement inheriting a team who were seven points adrift of the reigning champions in October. And the Belgian has noticed a change of energy in the stands compared to his first game in charge when there was an anxious atmosphere throughout the stadium.
He told BBC Sportsound: “It’s a big difference from the beginning. The first day I stepped into the building, you felt the impatience by the fans. Everyone was nervous. Now, everybody has a lot of confidence in the players and they feel it also in that way. We started hard, but then you need a little bit of luck to score early. The team knows now that if they repeat their actions then the goal will come.”
Meanwhile Clement refused to get carried away with Gers having the opportunity to leapfrog Celtic at the top of the table and has ordered his stars to stay focused. He added: “I’m not busy by Celtic or other teams. I’m only busy with winning games. I’ll be busy with ranking at the end of the season in the last two or three games.
“We need to focus on ourselves, the moment you start to think about others and what they are doing, how they are playing, then you lose focus on yourself. We still have a lot of work to do. I see a team growing, I see more and more the football that I want to see.
