Philippe Clement has finally been sacked as the manager of Glasgow Rangers. This decision should have been taken months ago, but Patrick Stewart and the rest of the board have taken action after the 2-0 defeat by St Mirren at Ibrox over the weekend.
An interim manager will be placed in charge until the end of the season, especially with nothing but European games to play for.
The Premiership title race was over by New Year, while defeat in the League Cup final to Celtic and a shock Scottish Cup exit to Queen’s Park ensures no domestic trophies will be won this season.
What next for Rangers? Whatever happens, the next permanent managerial appointment must be the correct one. Otherwise, Celtic will continue to increase the already gargantuan gap that currently exists between the two clubs.
Recent news indicates that former captain and club legend Barry Ferguson could be appointed as interim boss until the end of the campaign.
Looking beyond that, who could be the next manager of the club? One former boss is certainly on the radar…
Rangers manager news
With any managerial sacking, thoughts soon turn to the many names who are in the running to be the new successor.
Rangers are no different as plenty of managers will be throwing their names into the hate to take over at Ibrox.
According to journalist Luca Chianti, however, the club appear to be acting swiftly with talks underway over a move to bring back Steven Gerrard. The reporter states that Sean Dyche is also in the frame.
Some say never go back, but Walter Smith returned after a nine-year absence to enjoy a successful second spell with the club.
Of course, we are not comparing Gerrard with Smith, but take a look across the city at what Celtic have achieved since Brendan Rodgers came back.
Manager Focus
If the former Liverpool captain was fully backed, there is no reason why he couldn’t achieve success at Ibrox once again.
How Steven Gerrard fared at Ibrox
Gerrard took over a club which had struggled majorly during their first two seasons back in the top flight, finishing third behind Aberdeen in 2016/17 and second the following campaign.
His first two seasons didn’t yield a trophy, but Gerrard was building a team capable of going toe-to-toe with Celtic. Indeed, across those two terms, Rangers defeated their neighbours three times in the Premiership.
With a few recruitments ahead of 2020/21, the Light Blues went on to dominate, winning their first league title in a decade. Not only that, but they went the entire season undefeated.
1. Alfredo Morelos
158
83
2. James Tavernier
168
42
3. Jermain Defoe
73
32
4. Scott Arfield
153
29
5. Ryan Kent
138
28
Unfortunately, he wasn’t sufficiently backed during the summer transfer window, and they stuttered early in the following season. By November, Gerrard had left, taking up the managerial role at Aston Villa in the Premier League.
It would be a risk appointing him for a second spell in charge of the club. His record against Celtic was one of his biggest strengths and getting back on a level pegging with the Parkhead side should be a prerequisite for the job.
Despite his strengths, perhaps Rangers should make a fresh start and go for an alternative candidate.
Rangers should consider impressive Gerrard alternative
Former Scotland international Russell Martin was recently in charge of Southampton before departing the Saints a few months ago after a poor start to the Premier League season.
He is available and his style of play could potentially see the good times return to Ibrox shortly.
According to the Scottish Sun, Martin is one of the names in the frame for the vacant managerial role at Ibrox but as per journalist Ben Jacobs, he is yet to be approached.
With the 49ers Enterprises looking to take over the club following recent talks, it appears as though they are impressed with the former Saints boss, especially as his club defeated Leeds United – a club with who they also have a majority share – during the Championship playoff final last season.
Taking their form this campaign out of the question, Martin could be a solid appointment, especially as he has a style of play which could bring out the best in several members of the Gers squad.
Russell Martin’s style of play
Following the news of Clement’s sacking, there was plenty of discussion surrounding his successor.
Scottish football analyst John Walker took a deeper dive into the 39-year-old and just what his style of play is amid the rumours of him being one of the names for the vacant role.
Walker stated that he was present at a coaching conference last year where Martin was presenting, with his preferred formation being a 4-3-3 system.
“He took over Southampton after relegation, 19 players left that summer & had to build an entire squad over the summer,” said Walker on X.
He won 2-1 over Sheffield Wednesday in their opening match of the 2023/24 Championship season while holding 80% possession and creating seven big chances during the game.
“That is the kind of instant impact we keep being told Clement needs time to build and it’s utter nonsense,” Walker said when diving into this match.
Furthermore, Martin developed Matt O’Riley during his time with MK Dons, which saw him seal a move to Celtic. The Parkhead side sold him last summer for a staggering fee of £25m.
At Rangers, the club have plenty of young talents ready to take the next step in their development.
The likes of Hamza Igamane, Nico Raskin, Clinton Nsiala and Jefte have all shown flashes of their ability this season, but under a coach who has a clear philosophy, they could all push on.
Martin may not be the big-name appointment that many of the Ibrox faithful are looking for, but if he can stamp his authority on this underperforming squad ahead of the new season, he might well get a trick out of them.
The next appointment could be the most important in the club’s recent history.
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