Rangers' boss Philippe Clement reveals what he wants from split fanbase and why he's not 'alone in desert' now

Prominent fan groups Union Bears and the Rangers Supporters Association organised the movement as a show of disaffection against the Rangers board and Clement, calling on other fans to join them in leaving the match early. And while their members and others across Ibrox vacated their seats, the majority of supporters remained - with some booing the actions of the protesters.

On the pitch, Rangers never looked troubled by bottom club St Johnstone after racing into a three-goal lead before the half-hour mark, with the gap between them and league leaders Celtic remaining at 15 points. Rangers are seven points clear in second spot and can increase the lead over third-placed Dundee United to ten points by defeating Aberdeen at home on Wednesday.

“It's a big difference in atmosphere with two weeks ago, in the Old Firm against Celtic, that's clear for everybody,” Clement said. “But I'm focused on the team, I'm focused on getting the results. And I know also out of my experience here, if we play well, if we get the results, that the fans are always behind the team.

“I understand the frustration. I said it also after the Dundee game, I was also frustrated about that, that I didn't see what I wanted to see from the team. The team was also frustrated about that.

“The team wanted to repay that in the first half and they did. And you see also that a lot of fans, also with the frustration of the week, stand behind the team in that moment. It's about us on the pitch, getting more points and showing the football that we need to show.

“I want to have everybody united. So, that's what I wanted last year when I came in, and it was also totally not the case at the moment. But it has to do with performance, and that's normal. We want consistency, I want consistency, and fans want consistency to get better results.”

Clement was speaking for the first time since his CEO Patrick Stewart threw his backing behind the Belgian in a media conference. Asked if Stewart’s support removed some of pressure from him, Clement responded: “What pressure? No, the only pressure I have is that I'm not happy with the away results. That's my pressure.

“I told you guys, and maybe you still don't know me, but I want to win every game. That's my pressure. So if that's not the case, I'm not happy with things and I'm very ambitious to make things better. That's the only pressure I have.”

Clement revealed that he did not need to hear such a public show of support from his chief executive. “I spoke with Patrick already a lot,” added. “He's not long in the building, but I'm very happy that he's here.

“I've been six, seven months sometimes feeling alone in the desert and addressing things to make better in the club, or that I saw things regressing because the situation - I feel - is very motivated to make things better.

“That will help me, that will help the football department, but it will help everything inside the club. So I'm happy that we can have really open and sometimes critical discussions about it.”