IT DIDN’T take too long into 2025 for pontificating Philippe Clement to find something to moan about, did it?
Even in the immediate aftermath of an admittedly deserved victory over Celtic last week, the banal Belgian still tried to exploit an opportunity to gibber on about perceived injustices of the Premier Sports League Cup Final loss to the same opponents the previous month.
So, no-one was reeling back in surprise when Clement found someone else to blame for his side throwing away a two-goal lead against Hibs at Easter Road to draw 3-3 and set up the champions for a 3-0 success over St Mirren later in the afternoon to go 13 points clear in their pursuit of a fourth consecutive title.
There was no way the Ibrox chief was going to accept responsibility for changing the shape of the team after they had gone 3-2 ahead with 16 minutes of regulation time to go.
This Nostradamus of the touchline decided to hold onto what he had and replaced an attacker, Vaclav Cerny, with a holding midfield player, Connor Barron, and invited his opponents up the pitch where they duly levelled with a header from Rocky Bushiri following a right-wing corner-kick that created chaos and saw keeper Liam Kelly flapping hopelessly at fresh air.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT…Philippe Clement can hardly bear to watch at Easter Road.
Absolutely nobody’s gast was flabbered when Clement found a culprit for yet another failure with his team winning a mere three of their 10 league games so far.
On this occasion, it was poor old referee John Beaton and VAR official Nick Walsh who got it in the neck.
The Monaco managerial reject, the possessor of a selective memory, was not pleased about the award of what looked like a stick-on penalty-kick to the home side after Ianis Hagic had crash-tackled Josh Campbell from behind to send his opponent skidding across the sodden turf.
Martin Boyle tucked away the award to make it 2-2 and it was game on in the capital.
Clement’s petted lip practically quivered as he told Sky Sports viewers: “I’m very disappointed about conceding a penalty like that. It was a collision of two players with their hips against each other. You can’t say one player made a foul and the other didn’t.
“It was just a collision and Ianis was maybe even a little bit in front and the other players’ legs went around him.
“It was a game decisive moment and it’s really sore to have that again against you. I wanted to hear the referee’s thoughts on why he gave it because it’s never a penalty for me. The referee had a different view and that’s it.
“It’s important to ask for an explanation because I have to explain to the players why it’s a penalty and if these things happen in the future why it will be given. Ianis was on the wrong side but it’s not enough. They both collided into each other.”
Clement continued to frown as he added: “I’m sure VAR will say it’s not clear or obvious so maybe it’s better for the referee not to make the decision, but he was clearly very confident.
“I’m curious to see what the panel will say about it because if these are penalties every time then I have to tell my players to go down every time there is contact in the box – and I don’t want that because that’s not how football should be played.
“We were the better team and had to get the points and it’s hard to lose the duel at the last goal.”
HOLD ON…Todd Cantwell gets a firm grip of Stefan Garternmann’s jersey as a corner-kick drops into the penalty box at Hampden.
Okay, Phil, you’ve had your say. Everyone is in your line of sights when things are not to your liking. Even the club’s sports science team get highlighted when you select the wrong line-up.
Does the Rangers boss really think the world is against him and his team?
Please allow me to take Big Phil back to December 2023, just a couple of months after he had replaced the blundering Micheal Beale in the dug-out, and there were visions and promises of a new and enriched era.
Sure enough, the new gaffer delivered the Viaplay League Cup when James Tavernier broke through the Hampden tedium to score the only goal against Aberdeen to lift the silverware.
As you might expect, the Ibrox newcomer lapped up the adulation. What he seemed to overlook, though, was an incident in the 27th minute of the encounter where it appeared the Dons had been denied what looked like a stonewaller of a penalty-kick.
It was goalless at the time, as a left-wing corner-kick was swung into the Rangers penalty area. Referee Don Robertson completely missed a clear shirt pull by the Ibrox side’s Todd Cantwell on opponent Stefan Garternmann as the ball swirled into the danger zone.
This is not the imagination of anyone’s fertile mind. Take a look at the images and make your own mind up, dear reader.
PENALTY…Rangers defender Connor Goldson and Aberdeen’s Stefan Garternmann have a coming together. Outcome? A spot-kick.
VAR assistant Andrew Dallas didn’t spot the incident, either. Robertson blew for a foul a split-second later, adjudging Ester Sokler had bumped Tavernier, but the ball had been clearly in motion at the time Cantwell decided he would get an illegal hold of his rival’s shirt to impede any scoring opportunity smack in front of goal.
Obvious penalty-kick? Nope, nothing to see here, play on. You had to feel sympathy for the Danish defender and his Dons team-mates.
The previous month, Garternmann had been punished when VAR intervened as Clement’s side were awarded a fourth-minute stoppage-time penalty-kick at Pittodrie while they trailed 1-0 as the clock ticked down.
A corner-kick was sent in from the left and Connor Goldson dived in spectacularly theatrical fashion to win his side a spot-kick. Referee Nick Walsh witnessed nothing untoward as the ball was cleared, but his VAR assistant had a word in his ear to review the incident on his touchline monitor.
The match official returned to the pitch, pointed to the spot and Tavernier netted to preserve Phil’s unbeaten record since his appointment.
Curiously, the VAR official involved was none other than Andrew Dallas.
Of course, Phil did sample a reverse on these shores for the first time when he came a cropper at Parkhead on December 30 when goals from Paulo Bernardo and Kyogo Furuhashi gave Brendan Rodgers’ side a 2-1 triumph.
The Belgian wasn’t happy with referee Nick Walsh and VAR official Willie Collum over a ludicrous handball claim against Alistair Johnston even after images proved conclusively one of his players, Abdullah Sima, was blatantly offside in the build-up.
Phil refused to concede Celtic were the better team. We were to discover in the following weeks and months this was the norm from the manager.
I wonder how much longer we will have to put up with these pathetic sermons.
And does anyone still take him seriously?
ALEX GORDON
