Here's every word Philippe Clement had to say ahead of Rangers trip to face Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Any fresh injury concerns?

When the guys leave the building, I always get a little bit nervous. It's life, I've been there long enough myself also going to the national team and sometimes coming back with knocks. So luckily it's not the case. The only one still doubtful is Ross, but he had got a knock with us, so the national team was probably also not happy with that. They treated him, it was not good enough to play. He's back in training, but he's not 200% yet, so we will see in the next two days.

Are you happy with how the squad is progressing?

Yeah, better and better. Getting players, a lot of new players in the building, playing games together, getting experience together. So I expect the next couple of months that our level rises in that way. And also from the injury front, it's not perfect, but it's less than last season, so we need to see to try to keep it that way. Not to try it, but to do it. Together with the players to work hard to have the right recovery, the right game minutes, and going in this, let's say, crazy schedule. It's the first time in the history of football there have been so many games, also without winter break or anything. So for everybody in our business, in whatever country that you're working in, for sure for teams who are playing in Europe, because it's a big difference compared to teams who are not playing European football. It's going to be a challenge in that way. So we're working hard with the players to educate them in that way around everything besides the training in the moment that they are in the building, also the moment that they're outside of the building and at home, that they take care of their bodies in the best way.

Do you think anything could be done to help with what you describe as a crazy schedule?

Yeah, it can be done. For sure, something can be done. I don't think that anybody in the business thinks this is sustainable for years to come. But those are decisions made above our heads so we need to focus on our job and to get the players fit and to keep them fit.

You targeted October, November as a period when you'd see the real Rangers?

No, I didn't target that. I said that moment you will see a better Rangers team in October, November than in August. That was logical. You've seen already a better Rangers team in September than in August. So I said that.

Do you think you're going from strength to strength, week to week?

We need to do. And of course, those things are never linear. It's never like that. So you know that, but that's the target, to make it better and better, of course. And that's why we're working hard every day with the boys and with everybody in the building, with all staff, to make things better. And of course, there are still a lot of things to improve.

How do you reflect on a year in the job?

I need to be home at six. It's a difficult one to discuss all of that, what happened in one year. That it's good that we won a trophy along the way. I wanted more. We were close on more, but not good enough. We had to do - and it's about we, it's never about I - we need to do a big rebuild in the club in every sense, on the pitch, off the pitch, so many things happened. So I'm putting every energy in that, all my energy in that, day and night, to get this club back where it belongs to me. So the future is for me much more important than the past, in that way.

In terms of looking forward, is this the most belief you've had in the project you're trying to build, and you can see it in your picture going forward?

Yeah, there are steps made, but we still have to make several steps to get where we want to be. So that's with staff, that's with players, that's with board, that's with the investors, that's with everybody together, making things better. So I've seen steps made, I've seen also that we lost things along the way when people left. So now you need to rebuild again, with players, with people from outside of the staff. So in that way, it's about working hard to improve.

Philippe, do you see signs that the fans, given all the challenges that the team has got, they are understanding the limitations that you're working under? 

No, I don't want to speak about limitations. I don't want excuses, I don't want anything of that. This is a club where one ambition is to win the next game and every game. It's my ambition also. So I don't want to make any more comments about all those things. No, it's about winning. And of course, you know there's a process to get to winning, and you know what difficulties you can have or have when you rebuild things in such a big way. That you know, but it's about winning and everybody needs to be focused on that and to make the process go as fast as possible and as good as possible. So all the energy in that.

Philippe, there was a statement from the club this week, the chairman talking about flares and pyrotechnics being used by some sections of the crowd. I take it that's something you're okay with? 

Everything where the club gets fines for, it's a bad thing for the club, for everybody working in the club and for the fans also. So it lowers the budget for other things, but for the fans it's also really important, they need to be smart and follow the rules that are made by UEFA, by the Scottish Football League. They need to follow that, like you need to follow also the rules when you're outside in the city and you need to follow the rules of the police. That's life.

If these rules aren't followed, is there a concern within the club that could result in partial stadium closure and how damaging would that be?

I don't want to think about that because I know the passion of our fans. I know they want to give their life for this club. So I'm also confident when the right people say the right things, like John did, that they understand that it's not a good thing for the club, so that they're going to do it. So I believe in them.

Philippe, could you bring us up to speed with the rest of your squad, where Danilo is maybe, and Oscar Cortes? I know you spoke about him just before the international break.

Yeah, you guys know that Hagi will be suspended, so that's a pity. Then Cortes will be out for several weeks, so you cannot expect him too fast back. Ridvan is to be back somewhere next week in training. Rabbi Matondo, later on that week, or maybe the week after, but he's also short of being back with the squad to train, and Danilo is training back with the squad.

Is that a process, given that Danilo's had the setback, does that process need to take extra care over and getting him back onto the pitch?


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It's not the same with a player who was playing for nine months, and then three weeks out with an injury, and then comes back. This is a different case, so we need to look at it that way also. But I follow the work of the medical and performance staff to do the right thing for him. Is it that he can do half of the training, or one-fifth, or one exercise, yes, and another not? I adapt everything towards him, like we do with all the players coming back out of injury. But it's a case where you need to be more prudent about building it up in a very nice way.

Philippe, can I ask you about the younger players? You spoke about the challenges of the fixtures and the injuries you got, and then you've got a clutch of players on the edge. Fraser, Lowry, Devine, Rice, McKinnon, Lovelace. What part do they have to play this season in the first team?

Yeah, that depends on them, how they show themselves. It always works from two sides, and for sure from the players' side. So, Ross is a good example of that. He establishes himself in the squad in the moment he gets his chances, and it will be the same with the other young lads. And you can put other names also on that, because a lot of them also have been training with us or get minutes in friendly games, like against Dundee, where we played with several young players who train sometimes with us. So, in that way, you cannot make any prediction. It's about what they show on the pitch. That's football, that's playing also in the top club. It's not that you can say, OK, we're going to give five games to one player to show themselves. It doesn't work that way. It's about winning and picking the best team, and three days later, again, the best team in that course of games. So, if they show themselves more and more, they will get the win also.

Is that the challenge you're setting them to get into the first team this season?

I'm not setting them that way. I think every manager in the world is setting that in that way, for sure, in things where you need to win every game. Maybe if you can be in a club where they play mid-table and everybody's happy with that, and you win a game, and you lose a game, and you have a draw and everybody's happy, you can, in moments, do more things, but not in a club where you need to win every game. So, you need to show that you're better than the other one. It's normal.

Links have been made to Ryan Kent?

I said already in that one year, already a lot of times I don't go into rumours, because then it never stops, and it's already busy with all the press conferences with you guys. So, no, I'm not going to go into rumours. Of course, I know the player, and I've known him a long time, because the moment he went to Rangers, I was in talks with him to get him to Bruges. But there was a better deal, I think, in Rangers, in that way, so he chose for that. So, I've known him a long time, but I'm not going into rumors about bringing players on.

How tough a test are you expecting this weekend against Killie?

A very tough one, we know, and they say themselves also the last couple of days when I read. So, it's a place where you need to adapt to the circumstances, and that's not an excuse, for sure not. So, you need to adapt to that way, the style of play they have and the surface you play on. And it's a team who likes to compete with the Old Firm, they're looking forward to that. So, we're also looking forward to battle to get the three points. And I saw the game of last season, so that was for me the first experience there. So, I want to repeat that experience.

Can you say on the schedule, you said there's no winter break, managers want the winter break. Can you ever see a situation where that can happen, given how congested the schedule is, both for club and international football?

It's clear, but it's not about having a winter break or something. It's about how many games you have, how many recovery time you have in between. It's about that. It's not about me wanting to go on holidays with my wife and my kids with Christmas or something. It's not about that. It's about physical and mental health. It's about that. And I know a lot of top players have been complaining about that. I've seen also a lot of top players not going to the national team now. In this period, to not play the national league. So players are making decisions now. I think in the future, maybe players will make even more decisions around that. And one moment, they need to make a decision between clubs that pay them and the national team. What's also a pity, because it's a big honour. And I know to play for your country and you do that with all your heart. So it's a really, really tough spot to put players in that way. But there's one moment, a limit on physical and mental performance. So it's important that the people who decide about how many fixtures, that they take that into account. So I think UEFA and FIFA are also ex-players. Maybe they need to take more responsibility in that way also to help the new players.