Rangers parted ways with manager Mark Warburton earlier this month.
General view of Ibrox – Rangers
Rangers are looking for a new manager after confirming on their official website last Friday 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 was accepted after a bizarre sequence of events regarding a failed move to Nottingham Forest, as reported by the Daily Record.
Graeme Murty has taken charge of the last two games for Rangers, and the search for a new manager is well and truly on – whether it’s on a long-term basis or just until the end of the season.
Bookmakers have been pricing up odds for who could replace Warburton, and here are five of the biggest movers in the market today, as compiled by Oddschecker.
Alex McLeish: Evens
Whilst he had drifted to second favourite on Monday, McLeish is back as the favourite today. The 58-year-old has been cut slightly from 6/4 to as short as Evens to be named the new Rangers manager for the second time. His first spell at Ibrox saw him win two league titles in a four-and-a-half year spell at Ibrox following a 2001 move from Hibernian, and he’s currently out of work having left Egyptian side Zamalek at the end of last season. An experienced manager who knows and understands the pressure of managing the Gers, McLeish could be a sensible choice to take charge until the end of the season.
Graeme Murty: 3/1
Currently serving as Rangers’ caretaker manager, Murty oversaw Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Dundee, but with the Gers taking their time over an appointment, he could still be in the frame to keep the job until the end of the season. The former Scotland defender, 42, has no managerial experience but has been coaching Rangers’ youngster this term before being handed the caretaker job. The odds-on favourite on Monday, Murty has drifted back out to as far as 3/1 today.
Dougie Freedman 5/1
A huge mover on Monday, Freedman is still one of the frontrunners today with odds of around 5/1. The Scot, who admitted to The Telegraph in 2014 that he supports Rangers, has been out of work since losing his job at Nottingham Forest in March 2016, and could be looking to get back into management. The 42-year-old had up-and-down spells in charge of Crystal Palace and Bolton Wanderers, and has a win rate of 34% across his managerial career, with a move to Ibrox a possibility given his odds of 5/1.
Dougie Freedman
Malky Mackay 4/1
A bizarre link emerging today is with Malky Mackay, who was recently appointed as Performance Director for the Scottish FA. Formerly manager of Watford, Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic, Mackay – a former Celtic defender – has received a flurry of bets today and remarkably sits at 4/1 to take the Rangers job. Given his controversial history and his recent move to take a new job, it seems unlikely that Rangers would be targeting Mackay right now, but he’s right there in the mix in today’s odds.
Alan Irvine 7/1
Irvine, 58, has seen his odds slashed in recent days, with The Express reporting on Monday evening that he was in the frame for the Rangers job. The Glaswegian hasn’t been a manager since being sacked by West Bromwich Albion in December 2014, but is now being heavily linked with a move to Ibrox. Formerly with Preston and Sheffield Wednesday, Irvine’s record as a manager is patchy at best, and whilst he’s now 7/1 for the job, he would be a shock appointment for Rangers.
Who would you like to see Rangers appoint as their new manager?
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