Graham Roberts has expressed his sympathy for Rangers manager Philippe Clement, yet doubts his ability to restore the club to their former glory.
Despite a rocky period with calls for his dismissal after poor performances against Aberdeen and Dundee United, Clement has led Rangers to four consecutive victories across all competitions, narrowing the gap with second-placed Aberdeen to just two points and bolstering their chances in the Europa League.
With a crucial match against Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham at Ibrox and the Scottish League Cup final against arch-rivals Celtic on the horizon, Roberts, a former Rangers champion, remains sceptical about Clement’s potential to elevate the team to Scotland’s summit once more.
Speaking to Simon Jordan on talkSPORT, Roberts admitted: “I am not. I think he has had to learn the hard way. The club have not given him much money to spend and he is up against it to be fair to him.
“I think Celtic made £60million profit last year and Rangers are getting nowhere near that. For the next five or six years, if they don’t win the league then they are going to be miles behind Celtic and that’s the problem he has got.
“If it would have been four weeks ago I would have said Tottenham would have won as I’ve watched Rangers and they looked average. But they’ve picked up. I’m going to sit on the fence and go for 1-1.
“They started off slow, but with the players he has got they have picked up in their last four or five games, scoring 14 goals and conceding one. He has got the nucleus right. But I’m just not sure he is the man for Rangers at the moment.”
However, shifting to a more optimistic stance, Roberts has put his weight behind the Gers securing a positive outcome in tonight’s match.
Reflecting on his own experience before joining Rangers, where he won two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup with Spurs, he suggested that Postecoglou’s daunting injury roster gives the Light Blues a fair shot at nabbing a draw.
