Philippe Clement

Philippe Clement reacts on the sidelines when coach of Club Brugge - Sept 2023

    After a successful period as a player and manager in Belgium, Philippe Clement failed to hit the heights in his latest head coaching role at Rangers.

    After playing at Genk and Club Brugge, Clement won the Belgian Pro League as a manager with both teams and gained Champions League experience with Brugge.

    Capped 38 times by his country, he began his managerial career with Brugge as a caretaker before moving to former club Genk, where he won the Belgian Pro League and achieved the same feat twice following his return to Brugge.

    Clement then took over at Ligue 1 side Monaco in January 2022. They finished third in his first season in charge but he departed the club in June 2023 after just under a year-and-a-half in charge.

    In October 2023, he was appointed manager of Rangers and led them to their 28th Scottish League Cup. But he was unable to snatch the Premiership title from Celtic's grasp, finishing runners-up.

    He was sacked by Rangers in February 2023 after falling behind in the title race to Celtic and losing to Queen's Park in the Scottish Cup.

     

    Clement's playing career

    Defensive midfielder Clement started his career with K Beerschot in 1992, before joining Genk in 1995 where he made 65 appearances across three seasons.

    He was part of the Genk side that won the 1998 Belgian Cup, with a 4-0 win over Club Brugge.

    Then in the 1998/99 season he made a £1million switch to Coventry City in the Premier League, but he struggled to make an impression and only made 13 appearances.

    He returned to Belgium with Club Brugge for the 1999/00 campaign and became a mainstay of their side for the next ten years - helping them win the Belgian Pro League twice and the Belgian Cup three times.

    He ended his career with two seasons at Germinal Beerschot.

    Clement made his international debut for Belgium in 1998, and played 38 for his country; making the the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 squads.

     

    Managerial success in Belgium

    Clement joined the coaching staff at Club Brugge after he retired as a player, and soon found himself managing the club for two brief interim spells in 2012 and 2013.

    Waasland-Beveren gave him his first managerial job in July 2017 but he only lasted 22 games before Genk came calling again and appointed him manager in December 2017.

    It was the start on an impressive managerial spell for Clement as he took Genk to the Belgian Pro League title in the 2018/19 season.

    He then joined Club Brugge in the summer of 2019 and took his former club to two consecutive league titles in 2019/20 and 2020/21.

    Monaco were the next club after his services and he moved to Ligue 1 in January 2022.

    Clement led Monaco to third by the end of the season, but couldn't improve in the 2022/23 season as they finished sixth and were knocked out the French Cup in the round of 64. He was sacked in June 2023.

     

    Struggles at Rangers

    The 49-year-old arrived at Ibrox following the departure of Michael Beale at the start of October 2023.

    He inherited a Rangers side who were joint-second in the cinch Premiership, seven points behind league leaders and defending champions Celtic.

    When he joined the club Clement said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as the new manager of Rangers and I’d like to thank the board for giving me this opportunity.

    “I am hugely excited by this chance to achieve success at one of Europe’s most iconic clubs across four competitions in what remains of this season and beyond.

    “I am looking forward to meeting with the players in the coming days and to meeting our supporters at next Saturday’s home match with Hibernian, as we set out together to create a successful, winning Rangers.”

    Clement led Rangers to their 28th Scottish League Cup trophy after a James Tavernier goal secured a 1-0 win over Aberdeen, but was unable to snatch the Premiership title from Celtic's grasp, finishing runners-up.

    He's was unable to turn the club's fortunes around during the following season and on February 23, 2025, Clement was sacked by Rangers following the home defeat to St Mirren, which left them 13 points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic.

    Rangers had struggled for consistency in the 2024/25 season, losing the League Cup final to Rangers on penalties, and were knocked out the Scottish Cup by Queen's Park.

    They did reach the last 16 of the Europa League, but the unrest from the Rangers fans was too much and the board were forced to pull the trigger with 11 league games to go.

    "Rangers Football Club can confirm it has tonight parted company with men's first-team manager, Philippe Clement," the club said in a statement.

    "The club would like to put on record their sincere thanks to Philippe for his hard work and dedication during his spell in charge. A further update from the club will follow in due course."

     

    Clement's personal life

    Clement married his long-time partner Isabelle Bauwans in 2021. He has three children from a previous relationship.

     

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