Rangers barely gave a second thought to Michel Preud’homme – but could employ recently sacked former West Brom boss Tony Pulis.
Rangers need a manager and Tony Pulis needs a club. And a month after the Welshman was handed his P45 by West Brom, speculation is growing that a return to management beckons with the Scottish giants.
According to The Mirror, the level of support for Pulis is growing within the Rangers hierarchy – and the experienced tactician himself would consider taking up the role at what he calls one of ‘Britain’s great clubs’.
But despite Pulis vast knowledge and his years in the game, his appointment would come with a caveat. After all, it wasn’t the results that had West Brom fans turning against this arch pragmatist, at least not at first.
Whether Rangers fans would be willing to accept Pulis’ typical hard-nosed, safety-first style remains to be seen. But, in truth, there’s not many other options available with Derek McInnes and Michael O’Neill slipping through Rangers’ grasp – and the board have boxed themselves into a corner by demanding a British manager.
In fact, such was the focus on nationality that Rangers dismissed Michel Preud’homme out of hand when he applied to take over at Ibrox, per the Daily Record.
But, unlike Pulis, the legendary Belgian goalkeeper knows how to win and not just avoid defeat. He was responsible for ending long runs without a league title at Standard Liege (25 years) and Club Brugge (11 years) and is renowned for encouraging his sides to play attractive attacking football – something Pulis is hardly renowned for.
So with Rangers now seriously considering Pulis, perhaps the time has come to tone down those specifications and give Preud’homme some genuine thought.
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