Philippe Clement has spoken in the past about how he loves to delve into the history books of any club he has joined as a player or manager and enjoys hearing the tales from those around the building about past successes.

With former Rangers midfielder Alex Rae among his backroom staff, the Belgian can never be far away from anecdotes about the Ibrox club’s former glories. While tales of “Helicopter Sunday” and clinching titles on the final day of the season in the 2000s are all very well, Clement is only interested in making his own history now.

With six matches left of the current season, Rangers still have a historic treble within reach, but he knows only six victories between now and May 25 will give that dream a chance of becoming reality.

However, defeat to Ross County in the Highlands a fortnight ago and two further points leaked on the road at Dundee the following midweek has left Rangers with a mountain to climb in the Premiership to claw back Celtic’s three-point advantage, but victory over Hearts in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final last time out to set up a showpiece occasion on May 25 against Celtic at Hampden has offered his side a chance to regain their composure for the final straight.

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And Clement is convinced his players have what it takes to enter their own names in the club’s annals this summer.

“Fans speak a lot about the past. Every season is a new season and I can say everyone is really working hard to get the history back, to get Rangers back like before,” Clement said. 

“Everybody can see that things are evolving in a good way, it’s not about one result or two. It’s about the job that’s being done every day. 

“In that way, if they were here in other periods of the club they would have had much more praise.”

“Yes [Rae has told me about Helicopter Sunday in 2005], but it’s not only that experience,” he added. “It happens so much, all over the world, every season. 

“It’s not like that was like one moment in time, one moment in history. It happens every year. 

“The team has already done a good job by coming back from that far and getting more points [in that period] than a team that was leading by seven points. 

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“Were we happy with the week at Ross County and Dundee? No, totally not. Not me, not the players, nobody. 

“But all the other things are now calm and that showed against Hearts. They are the third best team clearly in the league with what they’ve shown until now.  

“They came with full motivation to the semi-final. I read all the articles before the game, how much confidence they had because we were on a bad run and they were on a really good run. 

“But we won that game and deserved to win it. We need to continue what we’ve been doing, game by game. 

“Fans always refer to the best periods in the club, they always want that. 

“This is a massive club and that is their reference. But it’s not something that comes falling out of the sky.  

“There is a lot of work necessary for that, and also money. This club has been growing, it’s growing now. I feel and I understand the expectations of the fans.”

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Those lofty expectations from the stands at Ibrox have been seen as something of a millstone around the necks of players like club captain James Tavernier and veteran defender Connor Goldson in recent years.

But with the club having risen from its financial implosion in 2012 which saw Rangers drop to the old Third Division and have to work their way back to the top flight, Clement believes the players who have been involved in that rise, including the 2021 title win and Scottish Cup and League Cup successes during that period deserve credit.

The English defensive duo have been linked recently with moves to join former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq in the Saud Pro League this summer, but Clement remains convinced that the pair still have a big role to play at Ibrox. 

“Next season has been under review since January,” Clement said. “We’re already busy with that. 

“Yes I think so [Goldson and Tavernier will be key players next season].

“I think you need to take several things into perspective. This club got a massive blow 12 years ago, they had to come back a long, long way so you lose a few years. 

“They [supporters] want the success as fast as possible, that’s expectation. But [Tavernier and Goldson] have done a massive job for this club in difficult times.  

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“Sometimes it’s more difficult to be a really good player, as they have been, in those difficult moments.  

“I had the experience myself. I was the captain in the good years at Brugge, but also in the moments when it was difficult.  

“That is part of being captain and being an important player at the club. It is part of the job 

“So I think Connor and Tav have been unlucky to be in the wrong period in the club in that way.  

“If they were in other teams of the past, with better players around them and with more success the people would have other ideas about them.  

“You see also in the good moments they are the ones who get the praise so it’s a little but double.”