Rangers lost 1-0 to Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon.
Pundit Kris Commons has told the Daily Mail that he thinks Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke is ideal for Rangers – or even Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Clarke, 54, took over as Kilmarnock boss back in October in what was seen as a major coup for the Rugby Park club, and so it has proved over the last five months.
The Scot has lost just three of his 25 games in charge of Killie, and led his side to a 1-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, with Kris Boyd scoring the winner.
Having beaten Celtic 1-0 in February, Clarke has now picked up 11 points from a possible 15 against the Old Firm this season, and his stock of rising by the week.
Clarke, who had spells as a manager in England with West Bromwich Albion and Reading, took a chance with his boyhood club Kilmarnock in a bid to repair his reputation, and many believe he could be on the move this summer.
Some believe that Rangers – who have Graeme Murty in as interim manager following Pedro Caixinha’s exit in October – should move for Clarke at the end of the season, especially after engineering a second straight win over the Ger.s
Now, Kris Commons has told the Daily Mail that he does think Clarke would be a great fit for Rangers, suggesting they would be smart to look at him as a permanent appointment this summer.
However, Commons added that Old Firm rivals Celtic could also be a destination for Clarke if Brendan Rodgers leaves the club, suggesting that he would be the perfect replacement for the Northern Irishman.
“Steve Clarke is doing such a phenomenal job at Kilmarnock that, to be honest, I think he would be a great fit not just for Rangers – but for Celtic, if and when the time comes,” said Commons. “It baffles me, the job he’s doing at Kilmarnock with the players he’s got, with Saturday’s win at Ibrox just the latest great result. Killie are unbeaten against the Old Firm under Clarke. They beat Celtic, they beat Rangers. This is a team that is flirting with relegation every season.”
“I think Celtic or Rangers, if you are in a position where you need a manager, would be smart to look at him. Celtic missed out on him as a player once or twice, I believe, and I think he was in the running when Ronny Deila left. He’s a very experienced manager, a Scot who knows the English game very well. My God, if Brendan Rodgers were to leave in the next couple of years, Clarke would be the perfect replacement. I think his prospects now are even higher than when he was in England, doing it for West Brom and Reading.”
“He has this remarkable gift. He doesn’t just get the most out of players – he gets more than that. Rodgers gets so much credit for doing it. Clarke deserves even more, when you look at the budget and the wages he has to work with,” he added.
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