Forget Kevin Muscat and Steven Gerrard: Rangers should bring former Newcastle boss to Ibrox instead
Rangers sacked Russell Martin after a calamitous start to the new league season
After missing out on a number of targets, Rangers remain on the hunt for a new manager to replace Russell Martin after his disastrous 17-game stint in charge of the Glasgow outfit.
With a tenure spanning 123 days, Martin has become the shortest-serving manager in Rangers’ 153-year history - and after winning just one of his opening seven league games it’s fair to say that some are surprised he even lasted that long despite signing a three-year-deal in June.
Martin was supposed to be the man that would lead Rangers into a bright new era following their long-awaited takeover, and it was hoped his track record of dominating matches in the Championship with Southampton and winning promotion would stand him in good stead to get the Ibrox crowd bouncing again. However, instead his team resembled something more similar to the Southampton team that won just one of their 16 matches in the league, and it’s fair to say that the writing had been on the wall for a while.
Rangers are already nine points behind their arch-rivals Celtic in second position, and 11 points adrift of the summit which is currently occupied by high-flying Hearts. It is already going to take something special to turn this season into a memorable one, but who should Rangers be targeting to restore the club to their former glories?
Rangers need an experienced manager to get them back on track
Rangers have already failed to convince early favourite Steven Gerrard to make an emotional return to football management at Govan. It’s the second time the new American owners have been knocked back by the former Liverpool skipper after reportedly holding talks with him over the summer as well.
Gerrard won a league title in 2021 with the Light Blues and led the club to their first unbeaten season in over 100 years while setting a British record for the best defensive record in a campaign by conceding 13 times. However, it’s thought the timing wasn’t right for Gerrard at this stage of his career and perhaps the Liverpudlian already feels he’s achieved all he need to in Scottish football.
Similarly, Danny Rohl, a man credited with leading Sheffield Wednesday to an incredible great escape at Championship level, has distanced himself from the post. He’s a talented young manager but has only had one managerial job on his CV at the age of 36, which has divided opinion at boardroom level.
Kevin Muscat, is reported to be the favourite at present. He’s won honours in Japan, China and Australia - and has played at Ibrox in the past nearly 23 years ago. However, it’s worth noting that Muscat’s one venture into management in Europe didn’t go to plan with Sint-Truidense in Belgium, who dismissed him after 15 matches.
Rangers should make a bold approach to hire Rafa Benitez
In an ideal word, Rangers would like a manager with a proven track record and pedigree at the highest levels. It might be hard to convince someone with stature to take on the job in Glasgow after such a difficult start, but one name that could be open to the idea as he looks to resurrect his career in management could be Rafael Benitez.
The Spaniard, who has won 13 trophies as a manager across spells with Valencia, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Newcastle United among others, has been out of work since March 2024 after a fairly unsuccessful stint at Spanish side Celta Vigo but remains hungry to return to football management and prove himself in the game.
"Sometimes to be described as ‘a legend’ is very nice, but also complicated,” said Benitez in the Telegraph.
"It is bad for a coach to be seen as retired. People still ask me, ‘Do you want to coach?’ For sure, I do, particularly in England and Europe. I do not want people to think I am finished. I am still evolving."
Benitez has experienced a slight fall from grace since leaving Newcastle United for China in 2019. However, he’s proven throughout his career that he’s a winner and is renowned for building teams that are organised defensively which is something Rangers in particular have lacked this season.
He’s a shrewd operator in the transfer market that is able to unearth gems on a shrew-string budget as was the case at Newcastle and he’s also someone that won’t be fazed by the expectation and hype that surrounds Rangers, having worked under some of the most-demanding fan bases in world football.
If they could convince him to join, there’s little doubt that Benitez would instantly lead Rangers up the table in the coming months and within 18 months have them pushing for a league title which is what he needs to rebuild his reputation.
This view was shared by talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan, who also believed the former Champions League winner could be enticed by the project at Ibrox.