Clement asks for time and patience, but where exactly is the evidence of PROGRESS in this Rangers team?

By the time Philippe Clement returned home on Sunday evening, it must have been an age since he had worked as a manager on the French Riviera.

Dozens of Rangers fans, angry at witnessing yet another defeat to Celtic from afar, decided to take their complaint straight to the source.

Eight hours after the players had been given a thundering farewell at Ibrox, they encountered an atmosphere of outright hostility on the team bus.

Clements’ attempt to placate his supporters with the same statistics he had presented to the media just hours earlier was like trying to douse a fire with a cup of water.

As they later left the stadium, they endured a series of insults, and you could forgive the club’s new players for wondering what they had signed up for.

Despite only playing four league games into the season, Rangers are currently in a dark phase.

Clement yells at his players during a painful 3-0 defeat at Celtic Park

The Rangers manager makes changes but to no avail as Celtic triumphed

Clement complains to the fourth official during a tough day for the Ibrox side

While a return to Ibrox seems to be on the cards, it won’t erase the lack of faith supporters have in those running the club. The £40 million that went up in smoke after the loss to Dynamo Kiev at Hampden won’t be coming back either.

Clement had to cut wages this summer and still keep pace with an ever-improving Celtic. For him, the task was thankless.

While the Belgian cannot be held fully responsible for all of the club’s problems, he is increasingly seen as part of the problem.

After his five-game unbeaten run in the Old Firm fixture was extended by Sunday’s defeat – an unfortunate event that even Michael Beale managed to avoid – his analysis of the match has raised quite a few eyebrows.

The Rangers players simply had no answer to hard-working players like the dynamic Daizen Maeda

Clement looks on sadly as his team falls behind 3-0

Furuhashi’s verve and fast runs proved too much for the opposition at Parkhead

The 50-year-old claimed that equal possession and identical shots on target showed the only difference between the teams was a lack of sharpness, repeating a familiar theme. ‘It could have been 3-2 or 3-1 or 3-3,’ he insisted.

Even the biggest Rangers fan would admit that Clement’s view of what he had seen bore little resemblance to reality.

Apart from an energetic opening phase in which his team created a few chances, the visitors were by far the best in all areas after that.

Celtic were clinical in front of goal, controlling the midfield and resolute in defence. Technically and tactically superior all over the pitch, they never deviated from Brendan Rodgers’ plan and looked set for the three points when Daizen Maeda opened the scoring.

Strip away the noise and hype that always surrounds this game and Celtic’s victory was as comfortable as any they’ve had against any Premiership team this season. With just one defeat in 19 derbies, Rodgers has made triumphs a routine matter on Sundays.

Clement has a duty to emphasise the few positive points. But he would do better to acknowledge that there is a gap between the parties and ask for time to bridge it – rather than insisting that it simply does not exist.

“The biggest problem for Rangers is that their three-a-side midfield formation doesn’t suit their footballing ability,” said former Ibrox winger Neil McCann.

Former Rangers striker Kris Boyd added: ‘We keep hearing about how important the midfield battle is, but Celtic are better than Rangers in every way.

The positive impact Clement had when he joined the club last year has earned him credit, but a manager can’t keep that up forever.

Since December, Rangers have gone on a run of 18 wins from 19 games in all competitions, with the only obstacle being a defeat at Celtic Park.

But the promise of those weeks, including winning the League Cup, soon disappeared like snow in the sun.

The business end of the season saw Clement’s men record just six wins from 15 in all competitions. With three wins from seven at the start of this campaign, a record of nine wins in 22 games is dismal.

Celtic captain McGregor completed a wonderful day for the home side with a superb third goal

Clement tries to make a point to his players during the chaos at Parkhead

Belgian Clement still has to get the better of his Celtic colleague Brendan Rodgers

It is one thing that takes time and patience. But there must be tangible evidence of progress along the way.

Even taking into account a transitional summer and the need to cut costs, it is hard to deny that the Belgian and his coaching staff are getting the best out of the selection they currently have at their disposal.

Aside from Connor Barron and Vaclav Cerny, none of the summer signings have made a significant impact.

While the opening 12 minutes on Sunday were encouraging, that was all there was to it. The ease with which Celtic eventually broke through the high pressure to score a goal – ultimately ruled out for offside – exposed the folly of Rangers’ approach.

‘When it’s played out, there’s nothing left,’ McCann added. ‘That comes from your coaching department saying, “We can’t disappear”. There has to be a balance in the team. You can never just empty that space. Everyone knows how Celtic play.’

It was a sigh of relief for Rangers fans when Kyogo Furuhashi’s goal was disallowed by VAR, but what happened next was like a replay of an old horror film.

Celtic’s quick thinking on the wing created an opening for Nicolas Kuhn to cross. With the away defence asleep, Maeda scored.

The staff of those in light blue jerseys can change. The same mistakes are made.

“It’s a worry when you keep doing it,” keeper Jack Butland admitted. “We’ve got a lot of new players coming in, a few new faces, different people we’ve got to get up to speed.

“But we all have to deal with these moments better and defend them better. Once you do that, it becomes difficult to get a foothold in the game again.

‘So although there were positive things in the beginning, we also gave away some chances and conceded goals and then it’s a tough day.’

The club has not yet entered a full-blown crisis, but it could be very close.

The Premiership table currently shows Celtic, Aberdeen and Dundee United ahead of Rangers. If the retro vibe continues after Clement’s men visit Tannadice on September 15, all the stats in the world won’t stop the flames licking his ankles.

“All I hear is, can Rangers beat Celtic?” said Boyd. “Forget Celtic. They’re miles away. They’re in a battle for second place now.

‘They’re five points behind Aberdeen. There’s nothing at the moment that suggests to me that Rangers are better than the rest of the league at the moment.’