On January 17 BBC Scotland published the rumblings of a cosy one-to-one between Tom English and Phil Clement.
Like Craig Whyte, Micky Beale and others that have lit up the Banter Years, English was in top form as he drooled over the resilience of his Belgian pin-up.
BBC Scotland have been especially on-message for the current Ibrox boss with Kenny Macintyre, Alasdair Lamont, Steven Thompson and Jane Lewis all jockeying for positions for an audience with A Proper Football Manager.
English has barely been able to put a sentence of criticism together over the impressive managers gathered at Ibrox over the last decade, when it comes to turd polishing there are good reasons why he carried the title of Chief Sports Writer with the state broadcaster,
Without a worthwhile news story in a career of mediocrity English generally produces puff pieces from afar, with his background he ticks a number of boxes for BBC Scotland where he is affectionately known as House Paddy, a nickname he takes great pride in.
Everyone with functioning faculties in Scottish football knows that Clement is toast, the Belgian waffler has been shown up repeatedly in his 15 months at Ibrox, only the chronic finances of the club has prevented a sacking for worst results than his two predecessors racked up.
In time honoured fashion English opened up his Mills & Boon piece with:
It’s unclear what noise cancellation equipment Philippe Clement uses as Rangers manager, but judging by his forceful and positive demeanour in a one-to-one conversation on Friday, it’s got to be some seriously powerful tech.
And so it continued in the ‘English style’.
Avoiding the issues and the repeated failings of the Belgian Beale, certainly not discussing the detail of a contract that has bears despairing over when they will get rid of the waffler who quotes shots at goal as a defence for losing to Queens Park and goes public that his players were nervous at half-time!
With no contacts inside sport English relies on Twitter for contact and opinions, his in-depth profiling of Clement got a predictable reaction from those that know his form for avoiding any meaningful issue.
Hi, fraud. Did you ask him about investments in the club? Can’t be bothered reading your Ibrox puff piece. It will no doubt contain the obvious glaring omission of any real journalism.
— Wrong@Anok4U2B484 (@Brockee2Poppy) January 18, 2025
You’ve written a hagiography of a manager who has 90% of his own fans demanding he be sacked.
Is your point that because BBC has given you a platform to put out this content for Rangers fans, Celtic fans can’t comment?
Is that where we are with BBC Scotland?
— TheQuarantineChronicles (@Yossariandantes) January 19, 2025
Old habits die hard, eh Tom? pic.twitter.com/q0kqiF1TOI
— Brian (@JedSparklet) January 18, 2025
You can always rely on good old uncle Tom to polish the turd…stick to egg chasing unc
— Tony Hay 🏴🇮🇪🇪🇭🇯🇵 (@hayzaboy) January 18, 2025
Having drooled over the forceful and positive demeanour of his mate from Belgium Monday or Tuesday would have been the perfect time for BBC Scotland to get English to review his love-in with Clement.
A commercial broadcaster would certainly take that route but not in Scotland. English hasn’t even tweeted on Sunday’s defeat against Queens Park, instead he is hiding behind the Six Nations.
His ‘hard hitting’ January interview didn’t just drop out of thin air, the work had started much earlier with a classic from April on the eve of a Moral Victory over the team that English detests with an unhealthy passion.
Anticipating the coronation of King Phil, BBC readers were treated to:
Under Philippe Clement, Rangers have dropped only eight points in 22 games. Expecting them to drop five or six in what would be six remaining games is a bit of a stretch.
Clement has won 19 of 22 league games since becoming manager in October. A victory on Sunday would mean that, in the entire history of the Ibrox club, only Bill Struth (21) and David White (22) will have won 20 league games in fewer matches.
They’re seven points better off in 2024 than Celtic. In Clement, we are seeing the kind of sure touch that has been, for so long, the exclusive preserve of the manager from across town.
In his short time, Clement has shown the restorative powers of Ange Postecoglou when he took over after the 10-in-a-row-that-never-was and the feelgood energy of Rodgers in his first coming, after the flatlining of Ronny Deila’s final season.
The Belgian has brought hope when it was previously thin on the ground. He has revived players who were looking tired and added vitality with some astute new signings.
That is the sort of insight that you’d expect from the last legacy reporter to have been backing Craig Whyte, even after the Daily Record had ditched the former billionaire from Motherwell.
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