Rangers’ decision to keep manager Philippe Clement despite the “disastrous” Scottish Cup loss to Queen’s Park is about “the long-term interests of the club, not to save money”, according to chief executive Patrick Stewart.
Stewart spoke in a club website interview just hours before Rangers responded to a newspaper report claiming takeover talks with a consortium backed by San Francisco 49ers president and Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe are at an advanced stage.
“It is not our policy to comment on speculation,” a spokesperson told PA Media. “If there were any such discussions, these would remain confidential.”
The Ibrox defeat by Championship side Queen’s Park intensified pressure on Clement, with Rangers also trailing Celtic by 13 points in the Premiership.
Rangers have, however, reached the last 16 in the Europa League, another reason cited by Stewart for sticking with the Belgian.
“We have been underperforming for several seasons now and that’s not down to a manager,” he said. “We have changed the manager and it has not made a difference.
“Until we sort the root causes, then it’s akin to trying to fix a broken house and starting with the ceiling instead of starting with the foundations.
“For all that the Queen’s Park result was disastrous, we do also have to give credit to Philippe and the team for the Europa League run. I don’t want to take a step that would put further progress in the Europa League at risk.”
