Forget Ancelotti & Gerrard: Rangers’ perfect next manager choice is obvious if Russell Martin is sacked

If you listen to the noises coming from the boardroom at Ibrox, Russell Martin’s job is safe for the foreseeable future – but if you prefer to hear the noise coming from the press and from the stands, then you’ll get the impression that his time as Rangers manager may be very short.

If the two teams still below the Gers in the Scottish Premiership win over the coming days while Martin’s side busy themselves with cup ties against Hibernian and KAA Genk, and they could find themselves rock bottom of the league, a position they have occupied only once before in their history, all the way back in 1989.

Even if that doesn’t happen, one senses that even if the board want to back their head coach in public, Martin is only a couple more defeats from the chop. Rangers are winless in the league after five games and have been humiliated in Champions League qualifying along the way. But why is it not working for Martin, and if Rangers do replace him then what lessons should they learn from his failure?

What Russell Martin’s struggles say about the kind of coach Rangers really need

Whether he was in charge at MK Dons, Swansea City or Southampton, Martin has always dogmatically stuck to a style of play which he feels is his own – regardless of the practicalities or whether it actually suits the players at his disposal.

At Rangers, as elsewhere, Martin has pushed a possession-based brand of football focussed on quick interchanges and a highly condensed pitch, bringing the defensive line up as far as possible to reduce the space available. It’s worked in the past, but not at Ibrox.

That may not be too surprising, looking at the players in the squad. Rangers have plenty of players who are blessed with pace and dribbling skill but few who are necessarily regarded as expert technicians. Players like Joe Rothwell and Djeidi Gassama would surely suit a more direct, counter-attacking style.

Simultaneously, a high defensive line usually demands that the defensive line have plenty of pace in order to be able to cover balls over the top, alongside a sweeper-keeper comfortable coming well outside his area to deal with direct passes. Rangers have John Souttar and Nasser Djiga, neither of whom are noted for their raw speed, and Jack Butland in goal, who is more comfortable hanging back inside his penalty area.

The result has been a mess, and one of the root causes is a disconnect between the squad and the manager’s methods, an issue not dissimilar to a major issue facing Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. Martin, like Amorim, seems to be a manager who hasn’t grasped that different tools need to be used in different ways. Rangers under Martin are a carpenter trying to knock in nails with a coping saw.

That isn’t to suggest that there are not issues which need to be confronted in the boardroom, or with the recruitment or the players themselves – but Martin has yet to show any signs of willingness or ability to adapt his style. He’s made it clear before that he has his methods and won’t vary them. It might be something he should consider at some point unless he finds unemployment particularly appealing.

If Rangers do end up dispensing with Martin’s services, they surely need a coach whose ideology better suits the squad. That probably means a more conservative defensive line, and more emphasis on quick counters, using the pace and ball-carrying qualities of the midfield and attack. That doesn’t necessarily mean going full-blown route one – but someone who is at least comfortable with the concepts involved may not be a bad appointment.

Should Rangers bring Steven Gerrard back – or appoint Sean Dyche?

If Martin’s reign does end amid protests planned on Saturday, or any time in the immediate future, then there will be an immediate temptation to call up some of the coaches whose names can be found in the board’s ‘recently dialled’ list.

There would be a conversation about Davide Ancelotti, who was interviewed for the job before Martin was appointed. The Italian has since headed to Brazil to try his luck with Botafogo, but that’s going rather badly too, and The Daily Record have already started off the speculation that Rangers could go back to their second choice soon.

Steven Gerrard would get some mentions too, of course. He always does, he’s available enough and even if his post-Rangers managerial career went rather poorly, he did well enough at Ibrox that it’s fair to assume he would be welcomed back with open arms.

But Rangers should, perhaps, look a little further afield. A career assistant whose first attempt at solo management has started badly probably isn’t the best candidate. A popular figure who hasn’t had a successful run in club management for several years doesn’t sound much better.

Of all the coaches in the UK who are out of work and who seem to fit the bill, it’s not easy to look past Sean Dyche. He doesn’t have much experience of managing teams that expect to win the significant majority of their matches, granted, but he’s an organiser, a coach who knows how to knock a frustrated dressing rooms’ heads together in a positive manner and a manager who understands how to play direct, counter-attacking football.

Dyche may not be a manager universally popular with purists, but he’s always built teams that bat above their average and should get a tune out of Rangers. He won’t be the only manager to whom that description applies, but only so many of them are available.

Still, it remains a pointless debate for as long as the Rangers board persist with Martin. Perhaps firing him so swiftly really would be absurd, but it has been a long time since a coach has struggled so badly at the club, and even if this not the best squad in their history there is little excuse for the poverty of the performances or for the results. Something has to change. Moving from Martin to Dyche would, if nothing else, be pragmatic.