‘I’ve heard from my contacts’ – Expert reveals front runner to replace Russell Martin at Rangers
Russell Martin continues to face questions regarding his position as Rangers manager, and a potential frontrunner to replace him has been revealed.
Martin is still under immense pressure at Ibrox, despite guiding his side to their first Scottish Premiership win of the season last weekend.
On Sunday (28 September), Rangers beat Livingston 2-1, but made hard work of the newly promoted side, with it taking a 94th-minute Max Aarons winner to secure all three points.
Several names have already been linked with the managerial position at the Glasgow giants, with a former Premier League boss emerging as the slight favourite.
Sean Dyche linked with Russell Martin’s job
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – revealed that Sean Dyche is being mentioned in relation to the job at Rangers with greater frequency.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that the Gers hierarchy are starting to weaken, and that Martin may be on his way out.
Dyche is seen as the obvious choice for Rangers by many if they are to sack the former Southampton boss, due to his experience and ability to improve underperforming sides.
Wyness added that supporters of the Glasgow club are still anti-Martin despite the recent win.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I’m afraid an injury-time winner against Livingston, who’ve just been promoted, isn’t exactly the recipe for getting the fans happy.
“I’ve been trying to test the temperature with my contacts in Glasgow. It’s still very, very anti-Russell at the moment, but luckily the board have been sticking firm. However, even I can see that they’re starting to weaken a little bit now.
“I see Sean Dyche hovering around and his name getting mentioned with greater frequency. I really think it’s wrong for them to knee-jerk because of the fans, because a long-term fix is required.
“I’ve said it for many weeks now that the Rangers fans have been living in this unrealistic world and they’ve got to realise what’s going on.”
Sean Dyche can provide immediate results for Rangers
When Dyche was appointed as Everton manager back in January 2023, the Toffees were on a run of 10 games without a win in all competitions and sat 19th in the Premier League table.
The club was in complete turmoil, fighting financial issues while their top-flight status hung in the balance.
However, Dyche came in and stripped everything back to basics, immediately providing results.
In his first game in charge, Everton went away to the Emirates and beat title-challenging Arsenal 1-0, before the 54-year-old led his side to a vital win over relegation rivals Leeds United two weeks later.
The Toffees stayed up on the last day of the season, with a lot of credit going to Dyche for the way he had turned things around on Merseyside.
| Position | Team | Games | Points |
| 17 | Wolves | 20 | 17 |
| 18 | Bournemouth | 20 | 17 |
| 19 | Everton | 20 | 15 |
| 20 | Southampton | 20 | 15 |
In comparison with how the table looked at the end of the 2022-23 season.
| Position | Team | Games | Points |
| 17 | Everton | 38 | 36 |
| 18 | Leicester City | 38 | 34 |
| 19 | Leeds United | 38 | 31 |
| 20 | Southampton | 38 | 25 |
With Rangers struggling in the Europa League and Scottish Premiership, the former Burnley and Everton boss could be the exact profile they are looking for to bring some short-term success to Ibrox.
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.