There is no single appointment that would appease Rangers fans when it comes to being the next manager.
Walter Smith wasn’t a wholly popular appointment when he returned to Ibrox, but a UEFA Cup final appearance and three titles in a row when he left suggested that it was a good decision after all.
Like Smith was in 1991, Davide Ancelotti is an assistant manager looking to emerge from the sizeable presence of a charismatic boss.
Ancelotti is now favourite to be the next Rangers boss and, despite no qualms about his experience as a number two, the standard questions about his ability to step up to the top job and his lack of experience as a player litter social media debate.
The latter is a point that Ancelotti has already addressed in his time at Everton.
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Davide Ancelotti on Duncan Ferguson’s Everton influence
Speaking to the Training Ground Guru, Ancelotti explained how a former Rangers player was key in bridging the skillset gap:
“I think this is really important to develop the quality of a single player. If you are like Duncan (Ferguson), a legend of the club, a really good striker in the box, a good header, for Dominic (Calvert-Lewin), it’s really important advice, like Duncan can give him. That’s also for me.
“It’s different because I didn’t have experience as a player. So, a manager, a coach that didn’t have a big experience, I played football but not at this level. I cannot give to Dominic, I cannot tell him what he has to do in that situation.
“I can explain the strategy of the game, I can be focused on the strategy of the game. But I think to develop the individual dreams of the player is really important to have someone that had the experience and can give him the good advices.”
Could Ancelotti repeat Everton coaching set-up?
Barry Ferguson has said that it is the top job or no job when Rangers appoint a new manager, but if he checks his ego, there could be a position for him under Ancelotti.
Ancelotti is known for his tactical nous and ability to set up teams to follow game plans via his work on the training ground, but what he won’t know, is what it takes to handle playing for Rangers.
He will have an understanding of teams raising their game every week having spent time at dominant clubs in Germany, Spain and France, but Dingwall isn’t Dortmund and Pittodrie isn’t Paris.
Ferguson could be a useful voice in the coaching team and on the training ground to echo the type of advice that his namesake was able to give at Everton.
