Craig Moore believes former Rangers team-mate Kevin Muscat is a ‘great option’ to replace Mick Beale at Ibrox after picking up where Ange Postecoglou left off at Yokohama F Marinos.
Rangers fans know only too well that the idea of a new manager building upon the foundations laid down by his predecessor doesn’t always go as expected. Steven Gerrard lead an unbeaten Gers side to the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 – picking up 102 points along the way – before the club finished 13 points worse off under Giovanni van Bronckhorst 12 months later.
So while some continue to play down Kevin Muscat’s success in Asia – the former Rangers favourite taking over from Ange Postecoglou and guiding Yokohama F Marinos to the J-League title and the Japanese Super Cup – Moore is having none of that.
Credit, Moore argues, where credit is due.
Kevin Muscat a candidate to become Rangers manager
“He’s a great mate of mine. I’ve been an admirer of his work for a while. He’s gone into Japan and done a wonderful job,” the ex-Gers skipper tells Go Radio.
“What people don’t understand over here, he got a squad that was Ange’s squad and they think it’s easy. But they’ve got the ninth biggest budget in the J League – it’s a mid-table budget.
“He won the league and the equivalent of the charity shield. He lost six or seven players over the summer that had to be replaced from within. So he’s punching massively.”
It’s not only the results which have seen Muscat emerge as a leading candidate to take Beale’s place in the Ibrox dugout. Moore is convinced that the former Australia international can also bring an exciting, easy-on-the-eye approach back to the blue side of Glasgow. Beale’s football prescribed as a cure for insomnia at times during his final few weeks in the hotseat.
‘Entertaining football’
“(Muscat’s) teams play entertaining football, score goals and they create,” Moore adds. “He’s a great option for Rangers as far as I’m concerned.”
According to The Telegraph, AZ Alkmaar coach Pascal Janssen, former Monaco boss Philippe Clement and one-time Chelsea chief Frank Lampard are also under consideration.
