As bears scream for the instant dismissal of Phil Clement their club is stuck in a trap that makes binning the Belgian Beale almost impossible.
It will take more than a 1-0 defeat from Kilmarnock to force him out, Clement knows his stuff with his agents cementing him into the foundations in July with a contract extension committing the club until May 2028.
That contract was signed without the involvement of a CEO, the Chairman that negotiated the deal has stepped down with the Caretaker also searching for a Director of Football Operations to guide him in the right direction on all things relating to players and management.
Very few people know the detail of Clement’s new contract, with a deal to 2027 adding another 12 months will have been on his terms with past experiences suggesting that the Ibrox club are something of a pushover when it comes to negotiations.
Kemar Roofe, John Lundstram and others got terms better than they could have dreamt of, last summer Micky Beale was in charge of the deals that brought Danilo, Cyriel Dessers, Jack Butland and Kieran Dowell to the pay-roll.
It might not be ridiculous to suggest that Clement was ready to quit over broken promises on the eve of the new season getting underway, an extened new contract on his terms might have cushioned his disappointment, alongside the lack of alternative jobs at his current salary level.
Five months after James Bisgrove walked away it is safe to assume that there isn’t a queue of capable CEO’S looking to step into the vacancy.
A toxic fan-base that demands that their side finishes above Celtic is one of the major problems- the supporters that chased Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Beale out the door as the clocks were changing.
At a massive financial disadvantage to Celtic the new CEO will have to conjure up something special to earn credibility and breathing space, sacking Clement would give him a fresh start but the issues run much much deeper than the latest dud in the dug-out and his pay off.
Having dictated the terms of his new contract it could be very, very expensive to sack Clement, he might even have a clause in the deal that he gets paid off instantly in the event of a termination rather than take the McCoist route of gardening leave and a regularly monthly payment.
Paying off Clement would take a massive chunk out of the budget that already has a £4m commitment to signing Oscar Cortes next summer.
It will require a pretty special CEO and management appointment to turn around the dross that has been built up by three failed managers.
Where do you start with Ridvan Yilmaz, Rabbi Matondo, Dessers, Dowell, Robin Propper and Hamza Igamane?
That is the proposal being dangled at the CEO candidates- after the Vice Chairman of St Mirren rejected a dream move to Ibrox.
All the while Clement remains in place, sucking the enthusiasm out of the players and supporters as Aberdeen drift out of sight with Dundee United and Motherwell closing in on third place.
Every day the pressure is growing on those inside Ibrox, intensifying on match days as those supporters that can be bothered to attend take advantage of the chance to express their anger offline.
With the finances grim on the back of funding the Beale Revolution! it is going to be a very costly decision to sack Clement, equally it is going to be costly to retain him with his team on a clear downward spiral.
That promise of being 200% better in October and November from Clement is being mocked by fans across Scotland but with a vacuum in decision makers the only certainty is that things are going to get much worse before someone bites the bullet to dig deep and remove the Belgian Beale.
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1 Comment
by Andy C
The Dud In The Dugout. Love that 👏👏