Ahead Ayr match and the arrival of a Celtic legend, Clement recalls his own cup shock and why Ibrox club needs to be careful

With experience, Philippe Clement is well-qualified to discuss the perils of undervaluing the cup underdog. When the manager of Rangers was a player, Racing Genk made it to the Belgian Cup final in 1998, the same day that his future employers lost to Hearts in the Scottish equivalent.

Though they were defeated in the final by champion Club Brugge, Genk had finished second in the league. As the overwhelming favorites to win both games, Brugge faced a Genk team that had never participated in a final at the national stadium. It appeared to be merely formal. Rather, Clement and company won 4-0, earning him his first career trophy.

While it’s still a pleasant recollection, it also serves as a warning that laziness can frequently lead to revenge, especially with Ayr United coming to Ibrox on Saturday night.

I was involved with a shock with a smaller team

He recalled, “I was involved with a shock with a smaller team.” “I won my very first trophy playing for Genk against Club Brugge.” When I attended Genk, they were in the second division. We were promoted, and the following year we came in eighth. Just two years after dropping to the second division, we won the Belgian Cup the following season after finishing second and defeating Brugge in the final.

“Brugge easily won the league that season, and everyone anticipated that they would also win the championship. However, we prevailed 4-0. I can still recall the minor but crucial details. There was a team photo taken prior to the game. Brugge had just eleven players on his squad. However, we got a picture with all of the staff members and about 20 players. That was our group’s mood and environment. It was just a pleasant excursion to enjoy a fantastic first time at the national stadium. I have therefore experienced that [being the underdog].

Clement also brought attention to Monaco, another of his old teams, and their shocking cup defeat this week at the hands of Rouen, a third-tier team. Their manager wishes to avoid having a similar blemish on his resume. “I mentioned Monaco because I have firsthand knowledge of how those types of games can be lost,” he continued. “It’s about exhibiting respect, quality, and mentality.”

 Scott Brown’s return to Ibrox as Ayr manager

A fascinating side story will emerge from Scott Brown’s return to Ibrox as Ayr manager, but Clement was unwilling to give it more attention. He went on, “I’m not busy with public enemies or things like that.”

“We are focused on our team, the match, playing excellent football, coming out on top, and qualifying. There are four games separating each participant in this round from taking home the trophy. It’s not very far. Thus, we must keep our attention on that and ignore everything else going on in the world that is unrelated to us.

In Clement’s view, the Scottish Cup is still just as significant as Rangers’ pursuit of a league championship and Europa League success as he strives to make winning a habit. The club has a rich trophy history, so every trophy we win this season will mean a great deal to us. However, in the past few years, it hasn’t been consistent. Everyone is putting in a lot of effort to return to the state in which we are consistently winning.

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