It was the shortest answer in a press conference that lasted more than 24 minutes and saw Philippe Clement address the past, present and future across 3,200 words. His actions, and those of his players, will ultimately speak louder than anything that was said at Auchenhowie on Wednesday afternoon.

A question about his previous assertion that Rangers would improve month on month ended with a statement relating to the win over Malmo and the need to find that level more often. Asked whether he was confident Rangers are still on that trajectory, an affirmative ‘For sure. 200 per cent’ was the response from Clement.

That win in Sweden was referenced on a couple of occasions by the Belgian. He spoke about it being ‘good football’ and the ‘type of football the fans want to see’. On the topic of why that performance was so different to the one Rangers produced against Kilmarnock on Sunday, Clement was less effusive as he hinted at the Rugby Park pitch being a contributing factor but rightly backed away from using it as an excuse for a wretched showing.

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The defeat was made all the worse given events the previous afternoon. When the door was left ajar for Rangers, Clement’s side failed to capitalise. A fixture that gave them the chance to close the gap to Celtic saw Rangers end up further away. The reaction at the whistle left Clement and his players in no doubt about the mood amongst the support.

“It was a big disappointment after the game at Kilmarnock,” Clement said. “The players, staff, fans, nobody was happy with the level of performance and the result. So then you need to switch your mindset and look forward. You want to react as fast as possible. That's what's going on in the dressing room. That's the same with me.

“So you want the next game to come as fast as possible and to win that one. That's what football is all about. It's about the really good moments to enjoy that but not to enjoy it too much because then a few days later there's the next game and you need to be ready again and in the difficult moments to switch fast to react in a good way. So that's what I expect.”

This time last season, Clement spoke about the need to rebuild the ‘synergy’ between those on the park and those off it. As he prepares for the visit of FCSB this evening, Clement is almost back at square one in that regard.

A fan base that has shown loyalty and patience like no other over the last decade and more cannot be asked to display those same qualities time after time. Clement is a victim of circumstances in that regard, his current predicament not helped by the fact that Michael Beale and Giovanni van Bronckhorst found themselves in similar positions at 12-month intervals.

The new contract that Clement signed in the summer was a show of faith from the board to the boss, and vice versa. At that stage, there was an understanding that this process – one which saw the squad profile change and the wage bill reduced – was never going to a quick fix. Clement needs the support to pay into that theory as well.

“Yes, because it's going to help,” Clement said. “And we talked a lot about that last season. And all the fans were behind the story. They were really happy with the story. I didn't go in the hype that moment or in the Harry Potter stories in that moment. So I don't go in the drama also now. There is a big space in between and we're in that space in between. And the fans will see the next month that this team will become better.

“But the more they stick behind the team, the more they are positive, the more they are supporting, the more they give the team energy, the faster it will go also. But we understand also from our side that the fans need to see also things on the pitch. So we were not happy with the performance in that way against Kilmarnock. All of us were not happy about that.”

The situation that Rangers are in at present will never be tolerated at Ibrox. Right now, Clement hopes that supporters will at least understand it, if not accept it. The reaction this evening – both before the game and after it – will be indicative in more ways than one.

When Clement was appointed as Beale’s successor last October, there was an acknowledgement that Rangers had to end the cycle of yearly hirings and firings. That does not, however, ensure permanent job security when the evidence stacks up against a beleaguered boss.

Clement is standing on that precipice in the eyes of the sections of the support. He retains the backing of those above him, however. It is perhaps no surprise that he believes stability is the only route forward for a club that once again finds itself in a state of flux on and off the pitch.

“Of course it's the only way,” Clement said. “But it's also not the only way here. It's been the only way in clubs all over Europe or all over the world. If you change ideas every three months, six months or every year, of course there's no consistency in the club. So you need to follow a track, you need to follow one process that everybody keeps on going in the same direction.

“So that's crucial. Otherwise you always have ups and downs and you will change a lot because if you go in a emotion of the day or one result or two results, then you can never create consistency over the long term.”

Towards the end of the press conference, Clement engaged in a back-and-forth after questions relating to criticisms and concerns over Rangers’ style of play. At the heart of the exchange was his belief that time will cure the ills as his final summer recruit, Nedim Bajrami, was put forward as a solution to what has been a long-standing problem under the Belgian’s guidance.

The theme of time was as prevalent as Clement’s insistence that everyone at Auchenhowie was working as hard as possible to change fortunes. The 50-year-old has a plan, and he is determined to work through it and stick to it.

He is attempting to win over a support that have more than one reason to be concerned about where Rangers are and where they are heading at present. Clement remains committed for the long term, but the coming weeks will shape the narrative and the mood.

“Yes and everyone is working really hard to make it as fast as possible,” Clement said when asked if this was a process that Rangers had to work through despite its difficulties. “That I can say to the fans. People who are not happy now, they were probably happy really happy with me six months ago, nine months ago. I am still the same man. I'm working even much harder than I did at that moment because there are much more things to be done, not only on the sportive side but also on the non-sportive side in this moment in the club.

“So I'm throwing myself on all those things because I engage myself in that way in the summer and before the summer, in all those talks, because I believe so much in this club and the potential it can have for the future and to bring it back where it was before.”