Clement says his gladiators are ready to enter Celtic colosseum
Rangers manager compares players to ancient warriors ahead of derby
IF Rangers put Celtic to the sword at Parkhead this afternoon then do not be surprised if their manager Philippe Clement strides out into the centre circle after the full- time whistle, holds his arms aloft a la Maximus Decimus Meridius and asks the crowd defiantly, “Are you not entertained?”
Clement, sounding every bit like the fictional Roman general from the Oscar- winning Ridley Scott movie, compared professional footballers to modern- day gladiators at Auchenhowie yesterday and the stadiums they play in to colosseums as he looked ahead to the cinch Premiership match in the east end of Glasgow today.
His injury- ravaged side’s chances of beating the resurgent top- flight leaders and defending champions and breathing life into their Scottish title challenge have been written off by many observers. Celtic have the advantage of being three points ahead with three games remaining and will have every fan in the 60,000 strong attendance roaring them on.
However, the Belgian is very much looking forward to entering the lion’s den for a duel which will have a huge bearing on which team lifts the league trophy next weekend and he has urged his charges to embrace and enjoy, not fear, the potentially daunting occasion as well.
“I think footballers are a little bit like the gladiators of the modern age,” he said. “In the old times you had the gladiators in a stadium full of people who were shouting and booing and doing this with their thumb up or their thumb down. I think we are now in that situation. The good thing is, people don’t kill us. We’re not dead afterwards. Maybe verbally, yes, but not in real life.
“It’s a positive that we will always have another go in the stadium. But that’s how society works now and players need to be ready for that. It’s also an exciting thing because the more passion people have for the things, the more support you have, so it works in both ways. They need to grab this moment to be really good gladiators tomorrow in the colosseum.
“I love this moment. Like I’ve said already, I love this city. It’s so passionate about football. It’s not that everybody is so friendly in that way. But I can give that it’s place if someone is passionate about his club and I’m not working in his club. I don’t have a problem with that. I love it here.”
Clement added: “You can feel the tensions rising in the city in the buildup to this game. When you drive in the car you see more middle fingers
than you see normally. But that is the only thing, nothing violent. It’s just people showing they favour another team than ours.
“Of course you enjoy it. I am really lucky, and I know that, that I can do the job closest to being the player that I was before. Being a player will always be the best period in my life whatever job I do. That is the most exciting thing and the thing you have most control over in your own destiny.
“You need to enjoy it and embrace it. That is why it is also important to have players in the building who embrace that because these moments can let you grow above yourself. That is the difference between some players and others and it is a major thing in football.”
James Tavernier and his teammates have, and not for the first time either, been accused of lacking the backbone to cope with the pressure of the closing stages of a title race as they have dropped vital points to Ross County and Dundee away and allowed Celtic to leapfrog them into top spot in the table in recent weeks.
Clement – who is unsure if centrehalf Leon Balogun, who came off at half- time against Kilmarnock last weekend, will be able to start against Celtic – has no concerns about their heart in the heat of the battle.
“This keeps on coming back,” he said. “But already this season they have shown a lot of moments when they did show it. I heard it before the League Cup final, but they took the League Cup. I heard it after Ross County and Dundee before the Hearts game, where Hearts were in the best period of the season, and they showed it in that moment.
“They showed it in Europe to come first in the group in that last game. And there were several other moments also where we were behind and they came back in the last minutes of the game. They kept on fighting. So in that way it’s not fair.
You can feel the tensions rising in the city in the build- up to this game. When you drive in the car you see more middle fingers than you see normally
“But I know what people want here and that is more trophies and titles. It is not black and white and I think they have shown in a lot of moments that they can do it.”
Clement argued the slings and arrows which will be hurled in the direction of the Rangers players by the home supporters this afternoon will be an indication they are viable contenders for the Premiership. He expects his men to respond positively to the abuse, not retreat into their shells.
“I’m really confident about that, I have no doubts about that,” he said. “You need to love that if you want to be a player here or in this town. I know many love to play here. It’s a case when you’re on the pitch, and I know when I was there in the past, when more people boo at you, the more people are shouting at you, the more people are negative towards you, the more they are afraid their team doesn’t get a result. It works that way so in a way I think the more they’re going to boo tomorrow, the stronger my team will get.”