Philippe Clement wants Rangers to use Nice victory as stepping stone to success

Philippe Clement stressed the importance of Rangers building on their stunning Europa League victory over Nice when they return to domestic duties against St Johnstone on Sunday.

The Belgian boss’s future has been subject to constant speculation after falling into third place in the William Hill Premiership, nine points behind Aberdeen who have played a game more and 11 points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic.

However, by contrast, Europe has mostly been a happy hunting ground for the Light Blues this season, with the terrific 4-1 win in France on Thursday night thanks to a Hamza Igamane double plus goals from Vaclav Cerny and Mohamed Diomande moving them into eighth place in the Europa League table with 10 points from five games.

Amid a relentless fixture schedule, Clement is now preparing for the trip to McDiarmid Park and he hopes to continue the Nice form in Perth.

He told Rangers TV: “It’s about taking the three points against St Johnstone and confirming this (Nice) game, so the players need to recover fast.

“They need to do it well and to show their qualities on Sunday, that we can take these three points against St Johnstone who will be super-motivated.

“So that’s now the important step to take with the group, not to go into satisfaction but to have this confirmation every three days because that’s what Rangers is about.

“That’s what I know, that’s what I want, that’s what I demand, to be there every time, every three days and then we can have a really good season.”

Clement believes Rangers surprised “all of Europe” with their win against the Ligue 1 side, who were all over the place at times, especially defensively.

The triumph over Nice came after wins against Swedish side Malmo and Romanian outfit FCSB and a draw against Olympiacos of Greece, but Thursday night’s win could and should have been by a much bigger margin.

He said: “I’m very proud of all the things I’ve seen, and also that people can see how much potential that there is in this group, with a lot of new players, a lot of young players, but they are developing step by step.

“And, yeah, it’s a really big victory, scoring four goals in an away game against a very good side like Nice is a big achievement, and we need to work hard to continue making them better and making a good evolution.

“So I’m very proud about what the players did, but it’s also what I expect. They showed a really good team performance, really good compactness, the right spirit, and we need to continue in that way in the next couple of months.

“It’s not only the midfield, it was the whole team defending, Vaclav and Nedim (Bajrami) also did a massive job in midfield, and it’s very important against a team like Nice.

“They are really good in playing between the lines, with a lot of good, technical players whom we closed down. That’s what we did really well in this game, that was one of the crucial parts, but also to be brave on the ball, to use the ball in the right way to create a lot of chances.

“It could have even been more than these four goals so a lot of very positive things, and I think all of Europe will be surprised with this result.”