Even though this season is still ongoing, there’s only one question on Rangers supporters’ minds: who will be the next manager in the Ibrox dugout?
Barry Ferguson is still yet to oversee a home win for Rangers in five attempts during his interim spell, following Sunday’s 1-1 draw in the derby, hoping to change that at Ibrox this weekend.
So, as much as he might want it, it’s very unlikely that he is going to get the job full-time and, while there appear to be two clear front-runners to be appointed right now, should Rangers turn their attention to a “world-class manager”?
Rangers new manager latest
At the time of writing, there are two clear favourites to be appointed as the next Rangers manager.
One is Steven Gerrard, with Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider reporting that he is ‘now the leading candidate’ to be re-hired, just under four years after leaving the club for Aston Villa.
Gerrard has been out of work since January, when he was sacked by Al-Ettifaq after, as John Duerden of the Guardian puts it, a generally ‘underwhelming’ spell in charge of the Saudi Pro League club.
Thus, a report by TEAMTalk claims that Gerrard ‘would be very open’ to the possibility of a return to the Ibrox dugout.
The other manager seemingly in the fray is Marco Rose, with Mark Pirie of the Daily Record stating that the German is ‘being considered’ by Andrew Cavenagh, Paraag Marathe and the rest of 49ers Enterprises, ahead of their proposed takeover.
The 48-year-old is also currently out of work, having been sacked by RB Leipzig in March; he’s previously been in charge of RB Salzburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund.
Both would be intriguing appointments in very different ways, but should the 49ers actually attempt to appoint a manager with vastly more experience?
Rangers could land a world-class manager
A report by Mark Pirie of the Daily Record back in March claimed that Rafa Benítez is a candidate to become the new Rangers manager, stating that the Spaniard is ‘aware’ of speculation linking him to the vacancy.
Few active managers on the planet can boast quite as impressive a CV as Benítez, as outlined in the table below.
Real Valladolid
1995-96
25
Osasuna
1996
9
Extremadura
1997-99
92
Segunda promotion
Tenerife
2000-01
46
Segunda promotion
Valencia
2001-04
162
La Liga X2
UEFA Cup
Liverpool
2004-12
350
Champions League
FA Cup
UEFA Super Cup
Internazionale
2010
25
FIFA Club World Cup
Supercoppa Italiana
Chelsea
2012-13
48
Europa League
Napoli
2013-15
112
Coppa Italia
Supercoppa Italiana
Real Madrid
2015-16
25
Newcastle United
2016-19
146
EFL Championship
Dalian Professional
2019-21
38
Everton
2021-22
22
Celta de Vigo
2023-24
33
Benítez’s credentials are there for all to see, having won the Champions League, two La Liga titles and the Europa League twice, as well as various other trophies, managing some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Liverpool, Real Madrid, Inter and Chelsea.
His successor at Newcastle United, Steve Bruce, said that Benítez is unquestionably a “world-class manager”, even if his last two jobs, in charge of Everton and Celta Vigo, have both gone pretty disastrously.
He was never likely to succeed at Goodison was he, becoming only the second man, after William Edward Barclay in 1892, to manage both Merseyside giants.
Nevertheless, Dietmar Hamann, who played for Benítez at Liverpool, alongside Gerrard of course, described his former boss as a “genius” and a “fantastic manager”, adding that Rangers “could do a lot worse” in their search for a new head coach.
So, if the 49ers are looking for a manager who has vast experience when it comes to both British and European football, could the 65-year-old be the man tasked with overseeing the Rangers rebuild, pipping his former captain – and Rose – to the post?
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