Philippe Clement is adamant he’ll stay the course at Rangers to ensure success in the long-term.
The Belgian’s ambitions for the club were dealt a hammer blow on Tuesday with a loss to Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League qualifiers ending hopes of a £40million windfall from reaching the group stage.
While Clement’s chances of success haven’t been helped by the fiasco which has seen his side begin the season at Hampden, the 50-year-old has also found himself in the firing line after the loss to the Ukrainians.
The manager has revealed that Ridvan Yilmaz faces up to six weeks out after being stretchered off with a muscular injury in midweek - but reiterated that he won’t be able to bring in any replacements until others move on.
Despite the air of negativity that’s engulfed the club lately, Clement, who could have moved to Saudi Arabia in the summer, insists he’s in for the long-haul.
‘I love this club, really,’ he stressed. ‘And I only had one time that feeling with a club - and it was in Brugges where I was 16 years because it was my second family.
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‘I felt after seven months like really part of this club. I could not leave this project now. That was impossible. Although there were chances for that.
‘I know we need time to build things. I cannot say how fast things will go.
‘But I can say that everybody is working really hard. And I’m really confident of the future of this club.
‘Do I love to be in a club where my heart is, where they can spend cash all over, I can get experienced players and have a squad where every position is double or triple? Yeah, of course, I would love that.
‘I knew before it would not be the case. But I don’t run away from it. No, I see it as maybe the biggest challenge there is. And I love a challenge.
‘I feel this responsibility. And I like also this responsibility.’
On the back of three straight title successes, Celtic now rely on the Champions League cash Rangers missed out on.
Clement, though, believes that doesn’t necessarily mean the Premiership is a foregone conclusion, saying: ‘It’s not only about money. If that’s the case, then everywhere in the world, the team with the most money wins every year a title.
‘Of course, it helps a lot. And you see that there are financial differences. And because of that, you have a group of teams winning a lot of things and other teams less. That’s also logic.
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‘But it’s our job to get the best out of the potential that is here. And we were close last season because people maybe forget.
‘It’s about stepping up now with the new guys coming in, with all the youths, with all the young players.
‘And using that energy also to make a next step and to let them gel together, to let them make connections together on the pitch, off the pitch. It’s work to be done that we’re busy with every hour of the day. It’s building a new squad.’
Nonetheless, Clement won’t be able to strengthen further unless there are players departing the scene.
Both Todd Cantwell and Ianis Hagi are surplus to requirements with interest in England in Rabbi Matondo.
‘We had a talk several weeks ago that it’s important for the club to sell players and get players,’ he said.
‘I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next two weeks. So, we will see.
‘Some of them know it already for a really long time and they’re still in the building. That makes things more difficult. But it is what it is. I cannot put a gun on their heads to get them out of the building.’
Despite the mood around the club, Clement, who is also without Leon Balogun and Scott Wright against St Johnstone in the League Cup on Saturday, feels brighter times will lie ahead.
‘A few months ago, I saw this documentary ‘99’ about Man U,’ he recalled.
‘I was thinking about that the day after our game. So, they were really down that first game, losing the Charity Shield against Arsenal 3-0, not touching a ball, or the feeling of not touching the ball.
‘But they reacted later on as a team with a lot of young players who had to learn that and with several very important players like Roy Keane guiding them.
‘So, that’s what we need to do the next weeks, the next months, to make the story better and better. And that’s what I’ve seen also the last three weeks also, that the squad is getting better and better.’