‘It’s his job to lose’ – Rangers close to appointing new manager
Rangers’ search to find their new manager remains ongoing after Russell Martin was dismissed of his duties less than a week ago.
Martin’s side drew 1-1 with Falkirk, which proved to be the final straw with regard to his time in charge and kicked off the search for a new boss.
Since then, a number of candidates have been linked with the job, although Rangers are keen to take their time replacing Martin and will not rush into a decision.
Football Insider revealed on 6 October that Rangers had a four-man managerial shortlist at Ibrox, with Steven Gerrard, Sean Dyche, Danny Rohl and Kevin Muscat on their radar.
Since then, Dyche has ruled himself out of the running and is not interested in the role, while the front-runner appears to have become clear at Ibrox.
Steven Gerrard closes in on Rangers job – ‘It’s his job to lose’
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown first told Football Insider on 30 September that Gerrard is a leading candidate for Rangers in their managerial search.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the job is now Gerrard’s to lose as he emerged as the clear first-choice for the role.
The boss’ familiarity with the club and previous success at Ibrox has made him a key contender, while he would be expected to immediately win over the discontented fans.
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, I explained: “Right now, it probably does seem like it’s Gerrard’s job to lose, really. He’s been the outstanding candidate.
“Sean Dyche, obviously, has ruled himself out of the running, he isn’t pursuing that.
“Gerrard has the past association with Rangers, he knows what it takes to be the manager there and had success previously when he won the league and stopped Celtic’s ten-in-a-row.
“He’s still a popular figure among the majority of the Rangers fans.
“We’ll see how things develop over the next few days, but Gerrard is in the box seat right now.
“If those talks are successful, it could mean something pretty quickly happening with Gerrard returning to Ibrox.”
This comes after Brown told Football Insider on 6 October that Gerrard is the favourite to replace Martin following a disastrous start to the season.
Gerrard concerns cleared up as Ibrox appointment nears
Those calling for Gerrard’s appointment had faced initial concerns surrounding his availability to take on the job after leaving the Saudi Pro League in January.
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider that Gerrard faces a taxation issue from his time in Saudi Arabia should he decide to return to Scotland.
Meanwhile, Gerrard faces issues which are delaying his Rangers return, while his family currently live in Bahrain and had opted to remain there after his dismissal from Al-Ettifaq.
Despite the suggestions of taxation issues, those concerns appear to have been cleared at Ibrox and are no longer as they originally were in the summer.
On top of that, Gerrard recently admitted in a recent interview with Rio Ferdinand that he is ready to go back into management, in what will be seen as a boost for Rangers.
For more Rangers and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.