Philippe Clement spared Ibrox vitriol as Rangers agenda moves on with no need for Jose Mourinho's laundry basket

Rangers have since negotiated a must-win game against Hearts. Together with reports of a takeover attempt by the investment wing of an American football team, it means the agenda has moved on somewhat. While Clement won’t ever be allowed to forget leading Rangers to such a humiliating loss, and might be considered fortunate to still be in charge full stop, he has been helped by football’s capacity for creating endless news.

It’s not exactly a case of Scottish Cup defeat? What Scottish Cup defeat? But Clement received some relief from the 3-1 win over Hearts on Sunday, which, while still a far from perfect performance, at least means the Belgian will be spared vicious abuse going into Ibrox ahead of tomorrow's clash against St Mirren.

There won't, for example, be a requirement to roll him into a football stadium inside a laundry basket, like a certain manager once was. Jose Mourinho’s ruse was designed to sidestep a Uefa punishment banning the then Chelsea manager from the touchline and dressing room for a home Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich 20 years ago.

The colourful Portuguese manager is firmly in mind after Fenerbahce, his current side, were drawn against Rangers in the last 16 of the Europa League earlier today.

Mourinho heads to Ibrox for some real football heritage for the first time on 13 March, with the first leg taking place in Istanbul seven days earlier. It will be the first time Clement has come up against Mourinho and he anticipates some theatre. “I think you guys will like that, I love that,” he smiled. “He's going to give you a lot of material, probably.”

While he has deep respect for all Mourinho has achieved, Clement is not necessarily a fan. “Of course, he's somebody who won that many trophies,” he said. “There are different managers with different styles. He won a lot of trophies in a certain style. I like even more managers with another style, but the respect is there. It's about winning at the end and he did that at several places with several teams and winning the biggest trophies that you can win in the world. It's normal to respect a lot somebody who did that.

“(But) He's somebody who's more in the defensive and reacting out of that style. I prefer more the managers, personally, who go full in their attacking force and play out of that. But I have incredible respect in the way he did it. It's just a personal preference.”

While it's a stretch to compare him with Mourinho, Stephen Robinson is someone else who has had to get used to having his achievements demeaned by those questioning his style of football. The St Mirren manager won’t be minded to change his ways as he looks to condemn Rangers to a second successive home defeat – and second successive defeat against the Paisley side.

It was St Mirren who kicked off this most recent Rangers crisis on Boxing Day. Their 2-1 win sparked off a period where the Ibrox side dropped points in successive away matches, with Motherwell, Hibs and Dundee all gaining draws. Only a 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox perhaps saved Clement.

One consequence of this run of results is that Rangers are firmly out of title contention. Having been eliminated from the Scottish Cup in disastrous fashion, Clement was asked about the domestic targets for the rest of the season.

“To win every game. It stays the same,” he said. “That's the objective. Every time. It's not going to be like putting everything in one competition and not performing in another competition. If you create that mentality, then we're in the wrong place.”

He dismissed a suggestion that Rangers might look to continue blooding youngers, as if nothing else matters. “It's not like it's now the final games of the league and we're just going to throw in young players,” he said, pointing out that the likes of 21-year-old Clinton Nsiala are already featuring regularly. “It’s not about giving things,” he said. Nsiala and others, including 18-year-old Findlay Curtis, who came on against Hearts, have earned their chances.

The Belgian, meanwhile, claimed to have paid scant attention to the recent takeover news, with Rangers set to become part of the Enterprise 49ers club network, which already includes NFL side San Francisco 49ers and Championship leaders Leeds United. It’s significant and possibly game-changing news for the Ibrox club. Clement, however, is unmoved.

“I'm busy with the team and reacting after the disappointment (v Queen's Park),” he said. “I said it a lot of times - it was unacceptable. The team reacted against Hearts.”

He appreciated the free midweek, which he says the players have taken full advantage of as they seek to atone for one of the club’s worst-ever results back at Ibrox this weekend. They will need to do so without John Souttar, who was taken off injured against Hearts last weekend.

“Everybody worked really hard (this week) and those are the steps to make,” noted Clement. “We now need to show the right things on Saturday against St Mirren. Those are the things I'm focused on, on the team and not on all the rumours and the noise around. Because otherwise I will forget to do my job."