They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Right now, others are just not seeing what Philippe Clement is. The good is outweighed and overshadowed by the bad and the ugly at Ibrox.

On the day that Clement was appointed as Rangers manager, he outlined his vision to make his side the best physical, technical, tactical and mental team in the country. They were the four pillars of his football, the underpinnings of his drive for success as he promised an attacking and dominant style. Rangers are as far away from achieving each of that quartet of ambitions today as they were the first time that Clement stepped into the building.

The Belgian got buy-in from the supporters in the early days. He saw the ‘synergy’ between those on the pitch and those off it repaired as Rangers regrouped and recovered following the inevitable end of the costly Michael Beale era. Just over a year on, Clement finds himself with little credit in the bank. The fans are not buying what he is selling.

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Are Rangers better now than they were this time last month? Are they better now than they were this time last season? More importantly, is there enough evidence to suggest that they will be better this time next month or come the end of the campaign that will leave them as failed title challengers once again?

Clement has spoken about this newly assembled group being comprised of ‘young’ players during a run of fixtures where not one teenager has made a sustained impression. He has talked up the progression and improvement from week to week and month to month despite the results and the performances being as unconvincing now as they have been for some time.

Clement has attempted to win round his doubters and silence his critics. Has he been trying to convince them or trying to convince himself? The words and the actions do not correlate.

The win over Hearts was just the latest in a series of utterly forgettable fixtures this season. Rangers do not dominate games, they edge them. Clement’s side do not play with a style and substance as a collective, they rely on individuals to produce moments to get them out of self-inflicted trouble.

Clement was unveiled in the Blue Room with the murals of the greatest figures in Rangers' history staring down on him from above. On Sunday, those legends watched over him from the walls of the press conference room at Ibrox. A portrait of Walter Smith was to his left, while one of Graeme Souness was to his right. The images are new additions to the area where Clement conducts his post-match briefings and they act as reminders of what this club is all about. The deeds of the past define how the incumbents today are judged and those standards should never be allowed to slip.

The ‘young squad’ defence was used again at the weekend as Clement addressed the game management failings that almost allowed the visitors to snatch a point and leave Rangers facing a double-digit deficit to Celtic and Aberdeen heading into the break.

The line doesn’t hold weight with supporters, though, given that the team and the squad has figures – such as Jack Butland, Leon Balogun and John Souttar at the back and international players like Nedim Bajrami, Vaclav Cerny and Cyriel Dessers further forward – that have been around the block enough times to know how to see games out. This group may be new together, but they are not a bunch of wet behind-the-ears kids that are straight out of the academy.

(Image: Rob Casey - SNS Group)

Clement did what was asked of him by supporters and the board over the summer by reprofiling the squad. Players with hundreds of matches for the club were moved on as several million pounds was saved from the wage bill. It was a job that had to be done.

Patience was required and would have been given had there been tangible signs that Rangers were suffering short-term pain for long-term gain. That, though, is not the case and five losses from a dozen matches is a return that is not acceptable at Ibrox in any circumstance, never mind when a manager still has the second most experienced and expensive squad in the country at his disposal.

Comments from Clement where he harked back to the dark days of 2012 and why the board were determined not to repeat the scenario were not needed and not relevant. The two situations are unrelated and using that narrative – almost as a scare tactic to supporters – was misguided. 

His bosses are, after all, the ones who allowed the spend on wages and fees to spiral as good money was thrown after bad. Once title 55 was won and a European final was reached, those comparisons became extraneous and the fact that Rangers again find themselves in a period of such distress adds further fuel to the levels of anger and apathy amongst the support.

The contract that was handed to Clement in the summer was not preceded by a clamour from fans to tie him down for the future. Just months on, the calls for his reign to be cut short are louder than at any time of his tenure.

The 50-year-old is an affable, engaging character and a decent man. He has bought into Rangers as a club and Glasgow as a city. If he becomes the latest boss that is chewed up and spat out by his environment, it will not be through a lack of investment in emotional or time senses. Is he the victim of circumstances at Ibrox or the creator of them? Both can be true.

Losing at Pittodrie last month saw the noise level around Clement reach a crescendo. The three matches since – the draw with Olympiacos bookended by the narrow victories against Motherwell and Hearts – have reduced the decibel levels but the discontent is still well beyond the murmur stage. Clement is only one defeat away from the inevitable outcry returning. That position is unsustainable for a manager in the long run.

The same can be said for the manner in which Rangers are operating in the boardroom. The appointment of a permanent chairman to take over from interim John Gilligan is believed to be close, and the arrival of a chief executive officer must follow as soon as possible thereafter. In a matter of weeks, the directors will face the wrath of shareholders and supporters at the Annual General Meeting. If the queries focus on pies or parking then it will go down as another wasted opportunity to hold those in power to account at a time when they have questions to answer on football and financial matters.

Clement made reference to the off-field situation a couple of weeks ago and how he was the only one speaking publicly at the club. That does, of course, come with the territory as Rangers manager and is part of the role as the leader of the institution. He has, to his credit, not sought to use the state of flux above him as an excuse. Once those positions are filled, his own will come under even more scrutiny.

(Image: PA) The international break gives Clement a chance to take stock. There is enough evidence now to suggest, however, that he will not change course. Asked about a potential formation switch a couple of weeks ago, he insisted that it would cause more problems than it would solve.

Rangers have ten matches left to play in the calendar year. Two of them – the Europa League trip to Nice and visit of Tottenham Hotspur – are closer to the free hit category. The rest are all must-win. The League Cup final against Celtic could be defining for Clement and he could not survive a sixth game without a derby win.

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On form, on what has been served up for so long domestically, what are the chances of Rangers winning each of their Premiership fixtures to ensure that they are no worse off than they are heading into 2025? The league table doesn’t lie, and the statistics tell their own story. Supporters can see with their own eye where Rangers are and they know from their own experiences how this scenario is likely to end.

Clement will always be judged against the barometer of Celtic, but it is Aberdeen that are his most pressing issue right now. If the likelihood of Rangers finishing third, never mind a distant second to Celtic, was to increase then no number of promises of jam tomorrow will be enough to save Clement.

Clement clearly sees something in this project and these players. He is in the minority at Ibrox. Ultimately, the voice of the majority will determine his future and his fate. It could get uglier before it gets better for Rangers.