Kris Boyd believes Rangers’ title bid has ended after they made it three league games without a win for the first time since 2019.
Wednesday night’s goalless draw against Dundee leaves them trailing Celtic by three points with five games left to play this season.
The Ibrox side had clawed back a seven-point gap to briefly move top, but hopes have faded again after a 3-3 Old Firm draw was followed by a 3-2 defeat at Ross County before the stalemate at Dens Park.
Clement’s side go to Celtic Park on May 11 for the final Old Firm league clash of the season knowing a win is needed if they are to wrestle the title from their rivals’ grip.
Sky Sports pundit Boyd, who won two league titles with Rangers, is struggling to see a way back for his former club.
“For Rangers to go to Celtic Park needing to win a game of football is going to be really difficult,” he said.
“The results haven’t been good enough, it’s the wrong time of the season to start dropping points and losing games.
“Rangers can go and win that game at Celtic Park now and it’s still irrelevant. There are five goals in it as well. I just can’t see any way back for Rangers now.”
Clement’s side have won just two of their last eight games in all competitions and Boyd is frustrated by what he sees as a lack of desire in the squad.
“When people speak about winners and needing to find them, you can’t go finding them, you’re born a winner. There’s something inside people that drives you on,” he added.
“When you’re looking at it from Sunday’s defeat and the draw in Dundee you would say there are no winners in that squad.
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Chris Sutton, Kris Boyd and James McFadden ponder what Philippe Clement needs to do to lift Rangers after the goalless draw against Dundee
“James Tavernier has done it over a period of time now. In terms of trophies he might not have delivered the number he should have, but in terms of performances, he has.
“He’s delivered big performances and scored big goals, but that’s a right-back.
“If Rangers Football Club are depending on a right-back to bail them out of trouble week in, week out then they have got a big problem ahead of them.
“There needs to be more from the forward areas. It’s all well playing a nice ball, pass, pass, but you need to find a spark.
“It shouldn’t be a thing that you’re missing one player, but Mohamed Diomande is the one who is tenacious in tackles, sets the tempo, gets forward and makes things happen. There was nothing [at Dundee].
Mohamed Diomande is out after surgery on his thumb
“They’re tidy, they’ll get on the ball but they don’t go anywhere. There were a lot of the passages that were similar to Michael Beale, keeping the ball for the sake of it.
“Philippe Clement has managed to squeeze every last ounce out of the players since he came in, you just wonder if maybe now it’s catching up with them.
“They’ve got an opportunity on Sunday in a semi-final [against Hearts in the Scottish Cup] that they need to go and rectify these last two performances.”
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