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.
Graeme Murty took charge of the Gers for Sunday’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.
Fenerbahce coach Dick Advocaat
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 compiled by Oddschecker.
Alex McLeish: 1/2
The main candidate ever since Warburton’s departure, McLeish remains the odds-on favourite to take the Rangers job again. The 58-year-old is out of work having left Egyptian side Zamalek, and could return to Ibrox having spent four-and-a-half years in charge of Rangers between 2001 and 2006. Whilst he won two league titles at Rangers, he would surely only be a stand-in manager until the end of the season given his recent record, and at 1/2 right now, he’s the clear favourite to be named the next Rangers manager.
Billy Davies 4/1
Another candidate to take charge until the end of the season, Davies has often stated his affection for Rangers having previously played for the club. The 52-year-old was a regular in the Championship play-offs across spells in charge with Preston North End, Derby County and Nottingham Forest, but has now been out of work for three years having left Forest in 2014. Davies’ odds are drifting though, as 4/1 is the longest he has been since Warburton’s departure, meaning the Gers may look elsewhere.
Barry Ferguson
Tommy Wright 6/1
After drifting in the odds on Monday, St Johnstone boss Wright is back down to 6/1 for the job today. The Northern Irishman has impressed in charge of the Saints, working on a small budget but keeping the club competitive in the Scottish Premiership, and the 53-year-old has now been heavily linked with Rangers. He may not be the ‘sexy’ pick for Rangers, but his knowledge of the division and his thrifty work mean he could still be under consideration from Rangers, despite needing to pay a compensation fee to land him.
Dick Advocaat 14/1
The man McLeish replaced back in 2001 was Dutchman Advocaat, and both names are now being touted for returns to Ibrox. Advocaat lost just 29 games from 192 in charge of Rangers between July 1998 and December 2001, and won two Scottish Premiership titles. Recently in charge of Sunderland, the the 69-year-old is currently managing in Turkey with Fenerbahce, meaning a return to Rangers seems unlikely, but he’s now as short as 14/1 to make a shock return to Ibrox.
Barry Ferguson 16/1
Another former Rangers man has been suggested for the job, and that’s former captain Ferguson. The 39-year-old racked up almost 450 appearances for Rangers across two spells with the club as a player, whilst even captaining the club into the 2008 UEFA Cup final. Currently in charge of Clyde, and he’s won 40% of his games in charge since taking the job in the summer of 2014. Whilst Ferguson is a fan favourite at Ibrox, it would be a huge surprise to see Rangers appoint a manager currently in the fourth tier of Scottish football, even with his links to the club.
Who would you like to see Rangers appoint as their new manager?
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