Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers loaned sympathy to his Rangers counterpart and added that the pressure of managing in the cauldron of the Old Firm “doesn’t stop”.
Against the backdrop of a humiliating 2-0 defeat to Kilmarnock at Ibrox and a shocking 1-0 defeat to Queen’s Park, ending their Scottish Cup campaign, Rangers chiefs took decisive action and relieved their 50-year-old manager of his duties at the club on Sunday. Pressure on Philippe Clement had been mounting due to a string of below par performances from the Ibrox men, and with them wasting the opportunity to lessen the points deficit to 10 points against rivals Celtic at the top, it was clear the Belgians time at the club had come to an end.
Rodgers has added his view to the events across the city and remarked that managing in Glasgow is no easy task, the constant expectation to return 3 points week on week can take its toll on even the most seasoned of football managers.
Contrary to the opinion of the Rangers support, the Celtic boss highlighted that Clement has had some success in the continent and is clearly a coach who knows what it takes to win. The evidence of this is scattered infrequently throughout his time in Scotland, with a League Cup trophy to his name and good performances in European competition.
“Like it is for any manager, I’m always disappointed when a manager loses his job,” Rodgers said before Tuesday’s Scottish Premiership visit by Aberdeen.
“I’m disappointed for him as a coach. I think we all know the conditions up here. You have to be winning and show that consistency to win.
“I’m always sad when another manager loses his job. Philippe has shown previous to coming into Rangers that he’s a very good manager. He’s won titles.
“He’s not just a good coach, he’s a winning coach and has won. Like I say, we know the conditions up here.”
Rodgers got the better of Clement in four of their seven Old Firm meetings, including last season’s Scottish Cup Final and this season’s League Cup final, which went to the wire with Celtic eventually overcoming their city rivals on penalties.