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Issame Charai opens up on 'respectful' Rangers exit

Issame Charai opens up on 'respectful' Rangers exit

Glasgow Times01-07-2025
The Moroccan coach, who had joined Rangers earlier this year under Philippe Clement, left the club after Russell Martin's appointment brought in new staff.
He has now secured a head coach position at Belgian top-flight club Westerlo.
Charai admitted that he saw his departure coming when Matt Gill was introduced as Martin's assistant.
He said: "I had a good chat with Russell and with Kevin.
"We talked about my situation in the club.
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"But I saw that Russell was coming in with an assistant Matt Gill."
Charai said the decision to part ways was mutual, and taken after a conversation about job descriptions.
He said: "It was actually very respectful.
"We had a good chat, and then we talked about our job description, and it was quite the same [as Matt's].
"And then I said, you know, 'I think it's better that we take a decision as soon as possible so I can try to get something else'."
Charai's phone started ringing with job offers as soon as his departure was announced, leading him to accept the head coach position at Westerlo.
The 43-year-old shared his views on what his former club needs moving forward - stability.
He said: "Oh, absolutely.
"And I think that's the job of Kevin.
"He's trying to find out exactly what the club needs together with Russell and then drive it forward."
Charai highlighted the pressure at Rangers, with everyone wanting to win every game and the competition with Celtic being of utmost importance.
He hopes that Martin is given the time to get things right at Ibrox, something he feels was not afforded to Clement.
Charai said: "That wasn't an ideal situation for Philippe.
"And I think a certain moment after the Queen's Park loss, it went more than normal.
"I think he did a good job at the club.
"He was working hard and OK, it wasn't easy because it took some time before Patrick Stewart to come along as CEO.
"Also, with the club's finances, it wasn't an ideal situation.
"So I feel for him and also for Nils Koppen because they did actually hold the club very high.
"They worked very hard for the club.
"But OK, obviously there's a decision that was taken at that moment."
Charai continued to explain that he was asked to stay and help the new staff, which he did.
He believes people should consider the circumstances under which Clement was operating when judging his time in Glasgow, as he feels it became personal towards the end.
He said: "Should people take on board the circumstances Philippe was operating under when they judge his time in Glasgow?
"Of course.
"Because you can see also that after a certain moment, I had the feeling it was more personal with them.
"At first, all that mattered was what the players did on the pitch - but then it became a little bit more personal.
"But you can see that afterwards the same problems recurred again.
"I think at a certain moment, the pressure from the supporters and from maybe the press became a little bit too much."
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