What job is new Rangers boss walking into?

A week is allegedly a long time in politics. Never mind that. At Rangers right now, 12 days will seem like an eternity.

Way back on 5 October, Russell Martin was relieved of the ever-growing weight on his shoulders that was the head coach's job, his tenure ending with the sight of him being secretly escorted out of the Falkirk Stadium after another slip-up.

This image, and that of the team bus being barricaded in, will feel like a lifetime ago to some of the club's support.

Not even two weeks have gone by and they've had the clamour for Steven Gerrard's return reach a deafening crescendo, only to be then hushed with the former title-winning boss turning the club down.

Ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl was the next name being talked about, only for him to then withdraw.

Now Rangers fans are avidly following the progress of Chinese outfit Shanghai Port to monitor boss Kevin Muscat and whether there are glimpses of his exit for Glasgow.

But with one of the most curious head coach searches seemingly nearing a conclusion, what awaits the new man to ascend the marble staircase at Ibrox?

How far behind are they?

There's a literal and metaphorical answer to this. One is harder to explain than the other.

The easy bit is that thanks to the draw with Falkirk, Rangers sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership table with just one solitary win - courtesy of an injury-time winner away to newly promoted Livingston.

Five draws and a defeat make up the rest of their haul, so far, to leave them level on points with Motherwell and Hibernian above them and just two off 11th place.

Glancing upwards there's an 11-point chasm to league leaders Hearts, while Celtic are nine in front of their city rivals.

Brendan Rodgers' team will provide the Hampden opposition on 2 November when the two face off in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, so whoever the new Rangers head coach is, one of their first tasks could be leading the team out at the national stadium.

While Rangers toiled under Martin, across the city, Celtic have struggled to fire and dropped points twice - including at Ibrox. However, there is a lingering sense that Celtic still have enough about them and experience in the tank to click, while a fresh-looking Rangers squad seek new leadership.

Following their humiliating Champions League exit by Club Brugge, the Glasgow side languish 32nd in the Europa League table with zero points going into Thursday's away trip to Brann (17:45 BST).

What do they need right now?

The main word that springs to mind is stability.

In May 2022, Giovanni van Bronckhorst consoled his players in the sweltering heat of Seville as Rangers lost the Europa League final on penalties. It was a mesmeric and heroic run with a sting in the tail, but a Scottish Cup win was to follow just days later to soothe the pain.

Six months on to the day, the Dutchman was axed and the Rangers managerial merry-go-round began.

Since then, Michael Beale, Philippe Clement, Barry Ferguson and Martin have all been in charge across a period of just over three years, with only a League Cup win to show for it.

"They'll be looking for a bit of help probably, guidance, just to get them a bit of stability," said former Rangers striker Billy Dodds, who was part of the coaching team last season under Ferguson.

"There's things that can help. I've been in there, we gathered it when we went in right away, got it feeling vibrant again, got it feeling happy, and then you get to the football as well.

"There's a lot of things that can be done to help right away, but long-term, they need somebody who's a leader, good at galvanising people, and then make sure that the guy they put in there is going to demand strong values and send out the right message that this club now is on the right path."

Since Martin's back-door exit at the Falkirk Stadium, it's been under-19s coach Steven Smith, B Team coach Brian Gilmour, performance coach Rhys Owen and goalkeeper coach Sal Bibbo holding the fort.

Inside the dressing room Rangers do have experience. Jack Butland, John Souttar, Kieran Dowell and captain James Tavernier make up the squad's senior leadership team.

Dodds, though, believes a strong figurehead is needed in quickly.

"He (Tavernier) can only do so much so," he said. "Tav's not a really outspoken guy, he's a quiet lad, does his talking on the pitch.

"There's a group, the leadership core in there, but I wouldn't say that it's the old-school leaders where they'll get all the team together and make a speech, it's not like that.

"I think it'll be collective as a unit, they'll be probably saying to one another 'we need it sorted, we need it sorted pretty quickly'.

"There's no real standout leader, even though there's the captain, the vice-captain, there's a leadership group. I think the boys have got to get together, but they can only do so much.

"I think it's up to the club's hierarchy to get the managerial situation sorted out and maybe get a strong figure in there that's a leader."

Is it a quick fix?

Looking at the core group, it's undeniable that they are capable of more than what has been offered up this season.

Martin's tactics have been broken down and dissected, and in far too many games Rangers appeared passive from back to front. Add in a porous defence and you're in trouble.

However, the spine of a team is there. Nicolas Raskin has pledged his commitment to getting Rangers back on their feet again after falling out with Martin, while new signing Bojan Miovski, who knows the league well, offers a threat in attack.

Whenever Muscat - or whoever it may be - arrives, though, patience is something the supporters won't have much of. Since Gerrard, Clement is the longest serving boss at one year and 131 days.

With such a horrendous start to the campaign, small wins will be needed quickly to reassure fans that the tanker is turning.

"There's definitely confidence right away [that needs improved]," said Dodds.

"I think defensively they need to be more sound, but that's been a problem for a wee while. The new manager is going to have to work at that.

"There's a strong midfield there, there's a strong midfield base, even when we were there, and then they've added up front as well, so there's something to work with.

"There's things needing changed, but collectively you can see the confidence is seeping out of them

"They need a bit of help, a bit of guidance, and a bit of stability."