Rangers are on the hunt for their 20th permanent manager after a disastrous domestic season let slip the club’s all-time trophy record.
Rangers are no longer the most successful team in football, with Old Firm rivals Celtic equalling the Gers’ domestic record of 55 titles and overtaking the club’s total of 118 major trophies.
This season’s Scottish Premiership is our Old Firm rivals’ 120th trophy. They’ll likely make it 121 in a matter of weeks.
It’s a situation which was unfathomable at Ibrox only two decades ago and after years of boardroom and dressing room mismanagement, the Gers sit at a crucial juncture.
Who takes up the mantle of Rangers manager will be crucial to halting Celtic’s march to domestic supremacy, with the Gers still within arm’s length of the Parkhead club.
But the appointment of one potential manager option is a disaster waiting to happen and may as well see the club start tying the ribbons on yet more Parkhead success.
Marco Rose a Rangers manager candidate?
Marco Rose is one name that has been doing the rounds online as 49ers Enterprises prepare to takeover at Rangers.
Reports have suggested 49ers technical director Grétar Steinsson has been holding interviews with continental candidates and Rose ticks a lot of boxes.
Having managed at the top level with Borussia Dortmund, Marco Rose had relative success with Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Monchengladbach before being sacked by RB Leipzig earlier this year.
Given Rangers have been linked with Red Bull this week, and a potential sponsorship deal, it’s easy to see why Rose is an attractive candidate.
| Rangers manager candidates |
| Marco Rose |
| Russell Martin |
| Steven Gerrard |
| Daniel Farke |
| Jose Mourinho |
| Derek McInnes |
| Kjetil Knutsen |
| Sean Dyche |
| Barry Ferguson |
Rose is well aware of the Red Bull multi-club system, won the Austrian Bundesliga twice and delivered RB Leipzig’s first ever silverware in the shape of the DFB Pokal.
But Rangers should be well warned that this appointment is a mega risky one, and not just because Rose has been snapped in Celtic gear parading around Parkhead.
One Rangers manager option blows Marco Rose out of the water
Ok so those images of Marco Rose at Celtic Park are an immediate turn-off. Let’s be honest.
The moment things go wrong, Rangers will be bombarded with images of Rose marauding around Celtic Park in a scarf and hat whilst Salzburg boss, taking in the adoration of their fans.
But the issue here is that Rose, like Philippe Clement before him, will take some adjusting to the frenetic nature of Scottish football and the culture of the fans who drive it.
Rangers need someone who has the guts and attitude to restore the club to its glory days. Someone who can rid this underperforming team of their current image; nice guys who are there to be filleted.
The early indications are that Rose is not that guy.
Another European manager who points to statistics, shots on goal, possession or signs of progress will soon be buried under an avalanche of criticism. The pictures at Celtic Park will only add to the pressure.
Rangers need someone who understands what it means to play for the club, who is willing to take on the role of Scottish football’s bad guy, and who is ready to restore the club to greatness.
If Jose Mourinho isn’t available – and let’s be honest here, he’s not – then there is only one real choice.
Steven Gerrard must be a frontrunner for a Rangers team full of talent that lacks identity, courage and ruthlessness.
Rose is just another over-technical appointment that promises bluster.
