Rangers parted ways with manager Mark Warburton on Friday.
Rangers are looking for a new manager after confirming on their official website on Friday night that manager Mark Warburton has resigned from his position at Ibrox.
Warburton guided the Gers to promotion from the Scottish Premiership last season, but lukewarm performances and disappointing results – such as the 4-1 defeat at Hearts earlier this month – had piled the pressure on Warburton.
Whilst Warburton was under real pressure, many expected him to be sacked if he was to leave the club, but his resignation has been accepted after a bizarre sequence of events regarding a failed move to Nottingham Forest, as reported by the Daily Record.
General view outside Ibrox
Graeme Murty took charge of the Gers for this afternoon’s 2-1 Scottish Cup victory over Morton, and whilst Warburton has told The Scottish Sun that he doesn’t know what Rangers are talking about, claiming he hasn’t resigned, the search for a new manager is well and truly on.
Bookmakers have been pricing up odds for who could replace Warburton over the weekend, and here are five of the biggest movers in the market today, as provided by Sky Bet.
Alex McLeish: 8/13
McLeish has already enjoyed one spell with Rangers, taking charge of 235 games with the club having arrived from Hibernian in 2001. With a 66% win rate during his four-and-a-half year stay at Ibrox, McLeish impressed before leaving at the end of the 2006 season and eventually becoming Scotland manager. More recently, the Glaswegian has endured tough spells with Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Genk and Zamalek, and his ties to Rangers have made him the favourite with bookmakers ever since Warburton’s exit. Now odds-on at 8/13, the out-of-work McLeish is the leading contender for the job.
Former Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew
Billy Davies: 2/1
A former Rangers midfielder, Davies has been out of work since leaving Nottingham Forest in 2014, and has regularly been linked with a move to Ibrox over the years. The 52-year-old was a regular in the Championship play-offs during spells with Preston North End, Derby County and Nottingham Forest, but with three years out of the game, Rangers fans are unlikely to be appeased by appointing Davies. His odds have been cut slightly over the weekend, as he’s now down to 2/1 to become Warburton’s replacement.
Frank de Boer 16/1
Dutchman De Boer is the choice of many Rangers fans, as he has not only played for the club, but has also impressed as a manager. The former defender won four successive Eredivisie titles during his time in charge of Ajax, but is out of work having been sacked by Inter Milan earlier this season. It seems unlikely that Rangers would have the finances to land a manager like De Boer, and his odds have drifted over the weekend to 16/1.
Zlatko Kranjcar 18/1
An interesting addition to the mix over the last 24 hours is Zlatko Kranjcar, the father of Rangers playmaker Niko Kranjcar. The Croatian, 60, has enjoyed a 25-year career in management so far, taking charge of the likes of Dinamo Zagreb, NK Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia, Persepolis, Montenegro, Sepahan and Al-Ahli. Currently out of work, Kranjcar is a left-field suggestion most likely made due to the presence of Niko Kranjcar at Ibrox, but he’s in at 18/1 this evening.
Alan Pardew 20/1
Another surprise name in the mix is Alan Pardew, who was sacked by Crystal Palace in December. The 55-year-old, formerly of Southampton and Newcastle United, could be looking for a route back into management, and Rangers is the most appealing vacancy right now. At 20/1, a move to Ibrox seems unlikely, especially given Rangers’ budgetary restrictions, but he’s a new name in the mix with bookmakers.
Who would you like to see Rangers appoint as their new manager?
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