Rangers

Tottenham Hotspur are the latest club to express interest in signing Rangers and Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin. (TeamTalk)

Danny Rohl wants former Rangers left-back Lee Wallace on his coaching staff if he is given the Ibrox hot seat. (Glasgow Times)

Ex-Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday says former Ibrox forward Josh Windass has praised Rohl for his coaching abilities at Sheffield Wednesday. (Open Goal podcast via Scottish Sun)

Alex McLeish - who signed Kevin Muscat for the Light Blues in 2002 - has backed his bid to become Rangers boss. (Scottish Sun)

US-based chairman Andrew Cavenagh may decide Rangers cannot afford to delay naming a permanent boss and install Rohl before the weekend game against Dundee United. (Scottish Sun)

Muscat and Neil McCann - who could fill in for the Australian while he becomes available - first thrashed out an agreement about how they would work together at Rangers two years ago. (Daily Record)

Rangers have spoken to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Bo Svensson as candidates to replace Russell Martin, with the latter dropping out over the weekend. (Scottish Sun)

If Rohl does end up getting the job, he will be on the back foot from day one and, as sporting director Kevin Thelwell's pick, is unlikely to be afforded trust or goodwill from Rangers fans. (Daily Record)

Thelwell's role at Rangers is under the spotlight despite the departure of the man he appointed, Russell Martin. (The Herald)

Former Ayr boss Lee Bullen saw plenty of Rangers target Rohl's Sheffield Wednesday side as a pundit and was impressed that "while he initially had one plan, he seemed able to adapt". (Scottish Sun)

Derek McInnes has pledged his commitment to Hearts and brushed off speculation about the Rangers job. (The Scotsman)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

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Derek McInnes insists he remains firmly focused on his job as Hearts head coach amid speculation linking him with the managerial vacancy at Rangers.

McInnes rejected a move to Ibrox eight years ago when he was Aberdeen manager but has been linked to the job again after Steven Gerrard withdrew from the process to replace Russell Martin.

The former Rangers midfielder has been at Tynecastle less than five months but has his side sitting top of the Premiership, two points in front of Brendan Rodgers' Celtic and 11 points ahead of Rangers, who flounder in eighth after seven matches.

Many fans and pundits have tipped McInnes for the Ibrox job given his knowledge of Scottish football and success with the Dons and now Hearts.

"For a manager you're normally fighting speculation off if you're not winning games about trying to keep your job," McInnes told Sky Sports.

"And normally if you're doing well then there's maybe a bit of speculation.

"My job here is firmly at Hearts. I'm really enjoying it here.

"I've wanted to be here for a long time, I'm really enjoying my work here.

"We feel we've started something now and we want to try and make sure we follow up a strong start to the season and maintain it and see where it takes us.

"I firmly believe we can be successful here."

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Rangers' hunt for a new head coach to replace Russell Martin is still ongoing, with more than two candidates on the shortlist after Steven Gerrard withdrew from the process.

But is the solution to their problems "staring them in the face"?

Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl appears to be one of the candidates on the list after he reportedly held talks with the the club's hierarchy last week.

Yet Daily Record sports writer Scott McDermott and former Rangers striker Rory Loy both believe the 36-year-old, who has had spells as an assistant with RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and the German national team, is not the answer for Rangers.

Instead McDermott thinks current Hearts boss Derek McInnes would make a better replacement for the departed Russell Martin, who lasted just 17 games after being appointed in June.

"We know Rangers have spoken to Danny Rohl, they spoke to him before they appointed Russell Martin, so he's obviously been on their radar for a while," McDermott told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Is he the right guy for Rangers? Not for me, not for what Rangers need at the moment.

"He's a very highly rated young coach. Sheffield Wednesday is the only managerial gig so far, but he has worked at a high level with Germany and Bayern Munich.

"In Rangers' situation at the moment, the predicament they find themselves in both in the league but also just historically with lack of success and trophies in the past 10 to 15 years, they need a specific type of manager.

"With all due respect, I'm not sure a 36-year-old coach coming from the English Championship is exactly what they need.

"For me, the answer is staring Rangers in the face. The answer for Rangers is Derek McInnes at the moment."

Loy says there are parallels that can be drawn between Martin and Rohl and feels Rangers fans would want to steer clear of a repeat of the last four months.

But the right person for the job remains unclear to him.

"There are some similarities in that Martin and Rohl have both managed in the English Championship," Loy told the podcast.

"But Barry Bannan saying he's the best coach he's ever worked with, I just don't think Rangers fans want to hear that again.

"It's good for players to be saying that but that's one thing the board said about Russell Martin before appointing him and those words haunted him.

"Rohl and Martins' backgrounds are so similar so you don't need to have experience and understand the club to know that that profile of manager isn't going to work.

"You need a manager that's going to come in, win trophies, have this aura, have this presence first and foremost away from being a coach.

"But who is that? Where do you get him? Can you afford him? And does he want the job?"

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Ex-Manchester United and Cardiff City boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been approached by Rangers, suggests the Norwegian's former Old Trafford team-mate Paul Scholes. (The good, the bad & the football podcast), external

Senior figures at Ibrox are split over whether to progress talks with former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl. (Daily Record), external

Kevin Muscat, in charge of Chinese Super League outfit Shanghai Port, is a serious option to be the next manager of Rangers. (Scottish Sun), external

Rangers are strongly considering appointing Rohl as their new manager, while approaches to Graham Potter and Gary O'Neil were rebuffed, with neither interested in moving to Ibrox. (TeamTalk), external

Chris Powell - Rohl's assistant at Sheffield Wednesday - has taken a role on Jack Wilshere's backroom staff at Luton Town. (The Herald), external

Before withdrawing from the process, Steven Gerrard was impressed by the Rangers representatives he spoke to and would welcome talks with the club in the future. (Sky Sports), external

Former Croatia head coach Slaven Bilic says he is "ready for work" and "waiting for the right offer", having been linked with the vacancy at Rangers. (Glasgow Times), external

The timeline for Rangers to make a managerial appointment prior to Saturday's return to league action against Dundee United at Ibrox is beginning to look challenging. (The Scotsman), external

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl is favourite for the Rangers job but ex-West Ham boss Graham Potter has also been contacted - although there has not yet been a formal interview. (Daily Record)

Or, Potter might in fact be out of the equation - but ex-Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna and former Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick are in the running for Rangers. (The Herald)

The Steven Gerrard debacle shows Rangers' decision making is not getting any better and they must now get their new manager appointment spot on. (Scottish Sun)

Rangers are set up differently to when Gerrard was previously in charge and the backroom staff he needs to hide his own deficiencies may not have been possible this time. (The Scotsman)

Former Scotland midfielder Barry Bannan his tipped his former boss Rohl to make an immediate impact at Rangers. (Scottish Sun)

Rohl was on Rangers' radar in the summer but his £2.5m release clause scared them off. (Daily Record)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

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Rangers loanee Mikey Moore scored a hat-trick for England Under-19s as they beat Belgium 4-1 on Saturday.

The 18-year-old joined from Tottenham in the summer on a short-term deal but has struggled to find his form at Ibrox with one assist in 10 games.

The winger showed Rangers fans what he is capable of on the international stage, scoring three of England Under-19s' four goals, netting the first just before half-time before adding to his tally in the 58th and 65th minute.

Moore has also been approached by Wales over switching national allegiances and has spoken to head coach Craig Bellamy.

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Billy Dodds on BBC Sportsound: Gerrard was probably the frontrunner. Most of the fans wanted Steven Gerrard but that's gone now. Danny Rohl, if you go down that route again, I'm not saying he's not a good manager but it's kind of rinse and repeat. I don't think the Rangers fans want that. I think it's huge that the hierarchy at Rangers take the fans into account for this one. You don't select your manager through fans but I think they have to take the fans' view into account.

Tom English on BBC Sportsound: This is the third time he's custard pied Rangers if you include 2021 when he left for Aston Villa. I don't believe this has got anything to do with timing. When you look at what Gerrard had before at Rangers, he had a very supportive chairman in Dave King, a very supportive managing director in Stewart Robertson, Michael Beale as his trusted coach and Ross Wilson as his trusted head of recruitment. He had the run of the club, he was the man at the club. All of those things are no longer there.

What he has now is a new chairman, new vice chairman, new head of recruitment, new sporting director. They've spent fortunes on the team so how big a budget is he going to get? Rangers' operating losses multiplied on Steven Gerrard's watch, I don't think these things would have been open to him this time. It's way, way more complicated than just the timing.

Michael Stewart on BBC Sportsound: Can anyone tell me anything positive that's happened at Rangers since the new owners came in? Russell Martin's appointment was questionable, Kevin Thelwell's appointment was questionable, player recruitment was questionable, the hanging on to Russell Martin for longer than anybody expected was also questionable. Now, that Steven Gerrard debacle was also questionable. They are under serious pressure to make sure this appointment is on point.

Rangers are in a bit of a hole as to where they're going to turn now. Danny Rohl can be as good a coach as you want but is he going to have the experience of handling all the fires that are needing put out at Rangers? I would suggest not. They need a manager who is a genuine leader. They need a figurehead and I'm not sure Danny Rohl, if he was to get the job, would have the experience and wherewithal to handle the mess Rangers are in at the moment.

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl is the new favourite to be Rangers head coach after impressing senior figures at Ibrox in preliminary discussions, while former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O'Neil and ex-Chelsea and West Ham United manager Graham Potter have also been sounded out. (Sunday Mail), external

Rangers had been speaking to other candidates throughout the week before former manager Steven Gerrard decided against an Ibrox return and have been impressed by former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl. (Scotland On Sunday), external

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has held talks with Rangers and is now appearing to be a leading contender. (TalkSport), external

Danny Rohl, who recently left Sheffield Wednesday, is one of a number of other candidates who have held what are said to have been positive talks with Rangers in recent days. (Rangers Review), external

Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl will look to bring a former Rangers player with him to help him as part of his backroom team win over the fans should he be named head coach. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), external

Sean Dyche, who had been linked with the Rangers job, is now the front runner to replace Ange Postecoglu should the former Celtic manager be sacked by Nottingham Forest. (Telegraph), external

Former Rangers and Scotland midfielder Charlie Adam is in the frame to be the new Blackpool team boss having played for the League One club. (Alan Nixon on Patreon), external

Current Blackpool caretaker Stephen Dobbie is in the frame for the job permanently along with fellow Scotsman Charlie Adam. (Scottish Sun On Sunday), external

Rangers right-back Max Aarons will never let his dream of playing for England go - and his desire for Three Lions honours was a big factor in joining Rangers. (FourFourTwo), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Steven Gerrard has turned down the chance to return to Rangers for a second stint as manager, with the timing of the move believed to be behind his shock decision.

Where do you think Rangers should turn next? Have your say on the news.

Alastair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland commentator

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The Rangers board now must bring in a manager who can be a unifying figure for the supporters and get the best out of a group of players who have massively underperformed this season.

The Ibrox club could have gone and got Derek McInnes after sacking Philippe Clement. Now such an appointment would be way more problematic.

Again, McInnes would make a lot of sense for a lot of reasons - his understanding of the club and of Scottish football and an ability to take charge of a dressing room and mould a successful unit.

But he is part of a Hearts set-up that is clearly going places and it is difficult to see McInnes leaving having committed to an exciting new project at Tynecastle. He has also turned down his former club once before, in 2017.

Sean Dyche is another whose name has been mentioned. He worked with Kevin Thelwell at Everton, where he steadied a ship that was in serious trouble, making them much more difficult to beat, a quality he is renowned for.

He overachieved at Burnley, though expectations there are vastly different from those at Ibrox. He has also been linked with Nottingham Forest, which might prove more appealing.

There are a number of other names flying around. In hindsight, Barry Ferguson and his team would have been a significantly better appointment than Russell Martin and his had they been put in permanent charge after last season's interim stint, but it seems unlikely the new owners will revert to them.

Kevin Muscat has rightly been part of the discussion over recent vacancies at Ibrox having enjoyed success in Australia, Japan and China, while Gary O'Neil has English Premier League experience and Danny Rohl is highly rated, though another young and relatively inexperienced coach may be considered too much of a gamble.

This is a massive appointment for Rangers and whoever comes in has a huge job on his hands to "turn the tanker".

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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Following the takeover by a US-based consortium in the summer - led by now-chairman Andrew Cavanagh - Rangers decided Russell Martin was the man to lead the team forward on a three-year-deal.

The former Rangers and Scotland defender got Southampton promoted to the Premier League, but was sacked after 13 defeats in their opening 16 Premier League matches the following campaign.

The reception from Rangers supporters to Martin's appointment was frosty at best and he failed to win them over at any stage of his tortured 123-day tenure.

The 39-year-old's final match was a 1-1 draw at Falkirk before the international break, following which he was given a police escort away from the stadium after fans tried to stop the team bus leaving.

It took Rangers until late September to win in the league and the club were humiliated 9-1 on aggregate by Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs.

Martin left with the club 11 points behind leaders Hearts and nine behind Celtic, having earned just five victories in all competitions.

Rangers' search for a replacement quickly alighted upon Gerrard, who was of interest to club's American owners in the summer, before a number of issues resulted in him withdrawing from the running.

In a podcast recorded prior to Martin's sacking but released on Wednesday - Gerrard told former England team-mate Rio Ferdinand that he was keen to return to management.

In that interview, Gerrard also said he wanted "to be at a team that's going to compete to win because I think that suits me better".

But it has now become apparent that team will not be Rangers.

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Steven Gerrard has been left out of the Liverpool legends squad following talks with Rangers over their vacant head coach position.

The 45-year-old is usually a regular in Liverpool's charity matches but is missing from the squad for Saturday's game against Chelsea Legends at Stamford Bridge.

Gerrard was set to hold talks with Rangers about returning to the club as their new head coach earlier this week as he emerged as one of the leading candidates for the position.

The Ibrox club are searching for Russell Martin's replacement after the former Southampton boss was sacked after 17 games in all competitions with Rangers sitting eighth in the Premiership table.

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Belgian supporters have been full of praise for Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin for his performance in Friday night's goalless draw with North Macedonia in their World Cup qualifying group.

The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes as Belgium were held at home despite an impressive display.

"What a player," BelgianPlayers on X said of Raskin. Meanwhile, Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri felt Raskin gave an "XXL performance" on Friday night and "has solidly reinforced himself as a starter". Another commentator referred to Raskin as "Belgian pitbull".

The praise for the Belgian comes after a difficult start to the season with Rangers as a result of tensions with now sacked head coach Russell Martin.

But there appeared to be none of that was on his mind on Friday night, with Raskin playing in his favoured, deep-lying role rather than the more advanced position he was encouraged to play by caretaker Barry Ferguson last season and, at times, under Martin.

Kai Watson on X said he "loves to see it" as Raskin made 25 passes in the final third, won possession 12 times - the most of any Belgian player on the pitch - and had a passing accuracy of 85%.

Raskin also won five out of five tackles, once again the most of any Belgian player, and made 10 final-third entries.

Whoever the next Rangers team boss may be, it appears clear they cannot afford to leave Raskin on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, the draw in Ghent leaves both Belgium and North Macedonia unbeaten in European qualification Group J, with Raskin's side a point behind but with a game in hand.

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Hearts' opening goal in last month's 2-0 win over Rangers at Ibrox should have been disallowed for a handball against Lawrence Shankland, Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum has stated.

Collum told the Scottish FA's VAR Review Show: "It should have been brought back. Lawrence Shankland's arm is too far out here.

"There is a deflection, but the arm is out far enough to be given. In our opinion, this goal should have been disallowed."

The former referee also backed the decision to disallow a Rangers goal for a foul by midfielder Thelo Aasgaard against Hearts goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, although he added that VAR would not have intervened if the goal had been given.

"The Rangers player is focused on the goalkeeper and moves towards the goalkeeper," he said. "There is a hand on the chest area - then eventually a hand on the arm."

Meanwhile, Collum also explained that Hibernian forward Martin Boyle had a goal correctly disallowed at Ibrox as a factual overturn because the ball hit his hand immediately before he scored.

Steven Gerrard's return to Rangers as team boss is all but sealed, with a deal all but agreed and the former England midfielder's return could be announced this weekend. (Scottish Daily Express), external

Rangers were holding further talks with Steven Gerrard on Friday as they look to appoint a new team boss, but while initial discussions were described as "constructive", the Scottish Premiership club are speaking to a number of candidates, including former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl. (Anthony Joseph on X), external

Rangers have not made a final decision in their search for a new manager and sources at Ibrox again insist that the process is still ongoing after Steven Gerrard held talks with the club this week but with further interviews still to take place. (Chris Jack on X), external

Steven Gerrard is the leading candidate to be Rangers' new team boss after meeting with club officials on Thursday, but talks continue and the appointment process is still ongoing, with Danny Rohl another name that has been interviewed. (Rangers Review), external

Steven Gerrard has agreed in principle to return to Rangers following talks with the club's hierarchy and chairman Andrew Cavenagh, who met the Englishman and presented his plans, wants him to establish a new Ibrox "dynasty". (Graeme Bailey on X), external

Rangers are close to reaching total agreement with Steven Gerrard to become their manager for a second time and he will be given money to spend in January to improve his squad. (TalkSport), external

Steven Gerrard has given his firm commitment to return to Rangers as manager following advanced talks in Glasgow, with the club poised to agree the conditions of the deal. (TeamTalk), external

Rangers will continue talks with Steven Gerrard over the weekend, with the former team boss undoubtedly the leading candidate to be team boss, but chairman Andrew Cavenagh and vice-chairman Paraag Marathe have also met with rival candidates - including former Sheffield Wednesday coach Danny Rohl. (Daily Record), external

Rangers are still in discussions with other managerial candidates after holding talks with former team boss Steven Gerrard. (The Herald), external

Besiktas, with the approval of head coach Sergen Yalcin, have started working to sign 24-year-old Belgium midfielder Nicolas Raskin from Rangers in the January transfer window. (Yeni Acik on X), external

Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs to have recently approached Sani Suleiman, while Bayer Leverkusen and other top European teams are also showing interest in the 19-year-old winger currently with Slovakian club Trencin. (Rudy Galetti on X), external

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has called up uncapped Hibernian midfielder Josh Mulligan and Rangers' Connor Barron as replacements for the suspended Lewis Ferguson and Ryan Christie for Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus. (Scottish Sun), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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