Some Rangers fans are now fuming with Philippe Clement | OneFootball

The big question after yet another bad European night for Rangers is the chicken or the egg scenario – was Rangers’ exit from the Champions League (at the earliest stage since the Malmo debacle) down to the card-happy referee who appeared to paint a target on Rangers players’ backs from the off?

Or was it down to yet another bad decision from Philippe Clement in failing to take off a vulnerable player in Jefte (who had already given away several fouls as well as the booking) and instead leaving him on to a high chance of a second yellow?

We have to say the ref gave Clement the ammo to shoot his own foot, and Clement pulled the trigger.

Jefte had had a poor match – nowhere near the sprightly and cross-throwing wing-wizard he looked in Poland, and frustration cut through him throughout the match. He was throwing quite a few mistimed tackles and fouls in there, and the ref was watching him.

On a clear booking, Clement decided, in his wisdom, to leave Jefte on at half time and remove Ross McCausland instead, in a truly perplexing call which set in motion the events which, in part, cost Rangers the Champions League.

Because, let’s not revise history – Dynamo Kyiv had absolutely no threat at Hampden (aside Souttar’s mammoth block) until the 80th minute when they finally got a shot on target. Jack Butland barely had to move to stop it.

Then one minute later the ball was in the back of the net as Rangers’ defence completely stopped, Tom Lawrence especially guilty of jumping over the ball while Tavernier (again) was far too far away and slow to close down for the quick-fire follow up. Butland was far too easily beaten on both, yet again.

Rangers might have been down to 10 men, but the flow of the match wasn’t that different in the second half. Kyiv just weren’t offering a lot, even if Rangers weren’t now either.

Once that first goal went in, the home side collapsed entirely, and could even have lost a third when the hapless Butland lazily kicked the ball against Pröpper and it sat up nicely for Kyiv while Rangers’ defenders stood like statues.

Was it a second yellow?

Honestly, it was as much for persistent fouling as anything else – if that had been given just as a free kick to Kyiv, not a Rangers fan would have complained. But Jefte was at it too much and gave the ref the chance to send him off. Soft yellow definitely but a foul for sure.

And that sits squarely on Clement for putting him back out.

This was yet another bloody nose for Rangers at this level, with our club going backwards – Michael Beale, absurdly, was a better manager for Rangers than Clement has become. This isn’t just post-match rage, this is completely factual and has been since Clement went past Beale’s survival rate of matches at Rangers. One win since May 15 is hard to argue with. Beale’s Rangers got past Servette at this stage to at least give the side a shot at the UCL. And we even still had a slim chance going to Eindhoven. That secured us £4M plus the Europa League cash.

This way around has lost us that £4M and now we have to content ourselves with the Europa League group phase.

We have no confidence whatsoever in Philippe Clement in getting out of that.

Why we gave him an extra 12 months we have no idea, but the small iota of progress in the past two matches have been dashed by this shambles, regardless of the (poor) officiating.

We’ve now definitively lost £65M and that changes everything.

Clement isn’t the right man to manage Rangers as things stand, but we don’t/can’t offer any alternatives as to who is.

As always, we’d love love love to be wrong.