Former Aberdeen chief Keith Wyness has issued a strong message to Rangers supporters, urging them to “suck it up and get behind” Philippe Clement, their under-pressure manager.
Wyness, who served as CEO of Aberdeen from 2000 to 2004 and later held key roles at Everton and Aston Villa, shared his views on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast.
Wyness emphasised that a shift in mentality is needed at Ibrox, pointing out that Rangers can no longer expect to compete with Celtic as they once did.
His remarks come after some Rangers fans called for Clement’s dismissal following a 3-0 defeat to Celtic in the Old Firm derby on 1 September.
The Belgian manager, who took over from Michael Beale in October 2023, recently signed a new contract with Rangers, extending his stay until the summer of 2028.
With his first anniversary at the club approaching, Clement has faced increasing pressure, particularly with Rangers struggling to challenge Celtic’s dominance in the Scottish Premiership.
However, Wyness believes the focus on Old Firm results is misguided and that Rangers’ problems run deeper than just the derby defeats.
“I’m afraid Rangers and the fans have got to stop with this mentality,” Wyness said on the Insider Track podcast.
“Just because you lose to Celtic, that can’t be the main reason for a manager being sacked. Rangers have got a big enough problem finishing second in the Scottish Premiership.”
Wyness urged fans to back their manager, stating:
“Clement has got other issues. Changing manager isn’t going to help, that’s for sure. I think Rangers fans have got to suck it up and get behind the manager and the team. They can still salvage something from this season, as well as get a real rebuild underway.”