Phillippe Clement reveals he HASN'T held Rangers board talks as under-fire boss guarantees he'll bring better days

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Philippe Clement insists Rangers chiefs KNOW he has laid the foundations for a brighter future at Ibrox - and revealed there have been NO talks over his future with club hierarchy.

The Belgian boss spoke for the first time following the backlash to his post match comments after the 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen that left his side trailing the Dons and champions Celtic by NINE points in the Scottish Premiership table. Many fans have lost patience with the 50-year-old but Record Sport exclusively revealed earlier that the Rangers boss believed he had the backing of the Ibrox hierarchy and that they wouldn’t bow to supporter pressure.

Clement is preparing his side for Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi final against Motherwell where Rangers will look to move a step closer to retaining the trophy they won under Clement last season. And asked what conversations he has had with interim chairman John Gilligan and the board about falling nine points behind, he said: "I haven't had discussions about that. They have been really busy in the last couple of weeks with other things at the club."

“There had to be a major turnaround in the summer, getting younger players and a cut in wages. The club knows it is the start of a better period, we don’t see it in results now, but the foundations are being grown for a more healthy club in the future.

“I am very confident in this longer term story. It is about small margins and making it better. Last season, we turned things around in a short time, and I am convinced we can do the same. Of course, we wanted the result on Wednesday but I saw a team that tried until the last minute.

"They don’t give up and we will continue fighting to get more consistent football like we have seen against Malmo and FCSB.

“I knew what a big challenge we would have this season, we are going to work hard to make this happen. There are several things we can do much better to get more consistent results. Our basics need to be solid all the time.

“There were things we did well and, for sure, things we didn't do well on Wednesday which we discussed today. Things can change fast in football with the right spirit, we are working hard with the squad to improve.”

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