BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
Date: 24th November 2024
Insp Clement contemplates leaving …
The sky looks bleak.
Govan is unforgiving in the winter.
Govan is unforgiving, no matter the season…
As Inspector Clement looks out from the top of the building that he occupies as the inspector for the whole of the area, he knows that he has a very big decision to make.
Picture the scene…
It is winter. Early winter in Govan.
Early winter in Govan is no different from deep winter in Govan.
It’s freezing.
It’s Baltic.
In fact, there are little brass primates running about looking for a welder.
Inspector Clément has been here for some time and has made a reputation as somebody who will not play the orthodox way.
He will not be the orthodox inspector for everybody to shout at and bully. He will not be the guy who is trying to be anything other than his own. Some people like that. Some people don’t.
But today, he is holding a letter which might make the decision he has to make easier. Inspector Clement is wanted. He is wanted back home. He is wanted in Belgium.
The problem is that it’s not so easy.
Inspector Tedesco is currently in charge of the Belgian arm of the Sûreté.
Inspector Clement is going to be asked to interview for his job.
Inspector Tedesco is still in charge. Unfortunately, recent results for him have been quite dismal. It is expected that the Belgian Sûreté, the envy of many in Europe, are going to swap their current boss for somebody new.
Inspector Clement has been asked to go and be interviewed.
His old friend, Monsieur Mannaert, has been appointed as the seeker of a new man in charge, and both Inspector Clement and Mannaert have worked well together in the past.
As Inspector Clement turns from the window and looks round his office, he looks and contemplates the lack of trophies on his shelves. He knows that there are few trophies on his shelves.
There are people within the building who think that he has underperformed over the last few years. And the one thing that he is beginning to feel is unwanted.
He looks at the letter. They want him.
He looks at the shelves.
He cannot see a reason why he would want to stay.
But he is still caught in two minds.
Inspector Clement is not somebody who gives up easily. He does not want to leave this place in a cloud hanging over him. He wants to leave this place with a triumph, with a skip in his step, with walking down, a marble staircase, looking as though he is going to trip and fall, but coming at the bottom and walking triumphantly out with his head held high.
Will this year be the year that he manages to make his mark?
A believer in hard work, preparation, being a leader, and ensuring that he is going to be the man who is out front at any point where there are difficulties and problems, Inspector Clement still believes that he has a job to do here, but will they give him time to achieve it?
The unfortunate thing for Inspector Clément is not that he is not the best detective in the whole of Scotland.
The fact is that he is not the best detective in the city.
There is a Northern Irishman in the east end of Glasgow who is doing a far better job than he is.
There are some who say that the Irishman, has a much better set of resources at his fingertips, but Inspector Clement has been responsible for his own recruitment. He has been the guy who has brought the people in who have not done the job that he has asked them to do, and now he has to contemplate the possibility that the powers that be might decide that his time has come and that he needs to move on before he has the decision in his hands, which he has now.
The sky begins to lighten as it is morning.
The dawn begins to break, but not over Inspector Clement and his decision.
It is still a decision he has to make.
He hopes, as he puts the letter down, that his trip to Belgium over the Christmas period will be one where he gets some clarity.
But as it sits just now on the tail end of November, with December to come he hopes for some crushing events that he’ll solve and get through the riddles.
He picks up his favourite fruit, a satsuma, and peels it with care and attention before popping segment after segment in his mouth.
As Inspector Clement sits, taps the desk and realises that his indecision has once again left him with a decision still to be made.
Whilst the author asserts his right to this as an original piece of work, there is no evidence that Phillipe Clement likes satsumas, unless you know differently, so this is clearly a piece of fiction.
The fact is that Rangers’ manager Phillipe Clement has emerged as a shock favourite to take over as the boss of his home country, Belgium. According to the BBC website, “RANGERS boss Philippe Clement is favourite to be the new Belgium boss in his homeland. That’s after his former chief executive and mentor Vincent Mannaert was appointed Belgian FA sports director… Clement ally Vincent Mannaert has started a major new role with Belgium. Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco is under serious pressure after a dismal 1-0 loss to Israel, a dreadful Euro 2024 and just one win out of six in the Nations League. He is expected to be axed and Ibrox boss Clement has been strongly tipped to take over with Mannaert just appointed as sports director. Mannaert was Club Brugge chief executive for 13 years where they won six titles and appointed Clement as the club’s manager in 2019. And in April this year, he revealed how much he respects Clement. He said: “Philippe and I have known each other for a very long time and since we were both playing, he was at the beginning of a fantastic career and me at the beginning of a less bright career! We had great results in the Champions League at Club Brugge and had a draw with PSG – with Messi, with Neymar, with Mbappe – and we had a draw in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. And we had great celebrations when we won the title. He is a very hard-working person, he believes in hard work and preparation. As a player, he was also a leader, he was a captain for many years at Brugge. You see that leadership coming back as a coach, he leads a group.” There are clearly going to be mixed feelings over whether he should go or stay, but one suspects the one person not giving a jot, is Monsieur Rodgers at Parkhead..
Posted in: Latest News