Rangers

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Rangers need a figurehead, a manager, not another head coach - and Steven Gerrard is that man.

So says football analyst and coach John Walker.

The Ibrox club are seeking a replacement after sacking Russell Martin while former Rangers manager Gerrard is without a job after leaving Al Ettifaq in January.

Walker told BBC Scotland: "I don't even think there is a recruitment process. I think the fans have already spoken on this.

"The plan should have been Gerrard approached right away and I think he is the one who will be appointed."

Walker admitted he probably got it wrong thinking Rangers needed a head coach with "a project" when appointing Martin in June.

"I think it is now accepted that Rangers need a figurehead," he said. "It needs to be a manager.

"It needs to be someone who garners the respect of the fans before a style of play is implemented."

Walker suggested that, with the Everton connections within the Ibrox hierarchy, their former manager, Sean Dyche, is another who might be approached who would command respect among Rangers fans.

"The good thing about Gerrard is that he ticks all the boxes on the modern style of play," he said.

"I don't believe for a second this is a bad squad. It is underperforming, but I think it is actually a really good squad.

"That's probably why the board have acted so quickly because the playing staff is of a quality that they think can do better and will do better under new management."

Walker thinks it would be an "easy transition" as "there are some of that squad who were in a European quarter-final just six months ago", captain James Tavernier played under Gerrard before at Ibrox and goalkeeper Jack Butland is a former England squad-mate.

"This can't go wrong," he added. "If they get it wrong, I don't know where they go next. He unites as many fans as you can with an appointment."

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Former Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister has said "never say never" on the possibility of a return to Ibrox with Steven Gerrard.

McAllister assisted manager Gerrard at Ibrox between 2018 and 2021, when they joined Aston Villa. The move south came a few months after Rangers won the Scottish Premiership.

When asked about Gerrard perhaps going back to Rangers, McAllister told Sky Sports: "We had a wonderful time there. We really enjoyed our time there. Steven did an amazing job to get that 55th title.

"He's always going to be linked with Glasgow Rangers, he loved his time up there.

"You never know what can happen."

When pressed on whether he would accept an invitation to return with Gerrard, McAllister replied: "You never say never, do you?"

Mark van Bommel, who led Royal Antwerp to the Belgian title in 2023, would be interested in being Rangers head coach after being approached before the appointment of Russell Martin. (Ben Jacobs on X), external

Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, Danny Rohl, who recently left Sheffield Wednesday, former Everton boss Sean Dyche and Kevin Muscat of Chinese champions Shanghai Port are all in contention to be appointed head coach at Ibrox. (Football Insider), external

Steven Gerrard, who indicated to Rangers earlier this year he was not ready to return to management, has rejected a number of approaches from clubs in recent months and would need to overcome his serious reservations about the state of the current squad before making a return to Ibrox. (Daily Record), external

Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard would "jump at the chance" to make a return to Ibrox as he is aware of what few options he has to be a manager in the major leagues. (Football Insider), external

Former Burnley and Everton manager Sean Dyche would consider being Rangers head coach if he was given time and felt like the club could be "winners", according to close friend Tim Sherwood. (Sky Sports via Daily Record), external

The preference of Sean Dyche and Danny Rohl for a long-term project could clash with Rangers' inclination toward a short-term deal, but there have been positive progress in talks with Steven Gerrard and discussions continue, while Mark van Bommel and Kevin Muscat are also being considered. (TeamTalk), external

Former Rangers chairman Dave King says he would love to see the club bring Steven Gerrard back to replace Russell Martin in the dugout and insists the title-winning boss has "unfinished business at Ibrox". (STV), external

Former Rangers striker Jermain Defoe has revealed he would jump at the chance to return to Ibrox now that he has all his coaching badges. (Sky Sports via Scottish Sun), external

Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is set to give a rare interview on Rio Ferdinand's "Rio Meets" podcast – where his future is highly likely to be on the agenda - at 16:00 BST on Tuesday. (Daily Record), external

Asked about a possible return to the head coach role, former Rangers caretaker Barry Ferguson said: "I'm back doing my ambassador role, I'm back on the radio, I do my column too, so my life is good at this moment in time." (Go Radio Football Show via Glasgow Times), external

Former Rangers striker Steven Naismith, who was sacked by Heart of Midlothian last year, remains keen on a return to management despite being saddened to see the vitriol experienced by former team-mate Russell Martin while at Ibrox. (The Herald), external

Rangers called an emergency board meeting on Monday afternoon to begin their search for a new head coach, with sporting director Kevin Thelwell, chief executive Patrick Stewart, American owner Andrew Cavenagh and right-hand man Paraag Marathe all involved. (Daily Record), external

The Rangers hierarchy have bought themselves time in their managerial search by giving their first-team squad the majority of this week off. (Daily Record), external

Sacked Rangers head coach Russell Martin has been made one of the favourites by bookmakers for the Luton Town job. (The National), external

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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We asked for who you think should replace Russell Martin as Rangers head coach, after he was sacked after just 123 days in charge.

Here's what some of you said:

Simon: Sean Dyche with Barry Ferguson as assistant for me.

CD: It's got to be Kevin Muscat. We should have gone for him after Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Not Steven Gerrard for me.

Jason: Personally I would want Gerrard or Ferguson. We won't get either but for instant impact they have to be considered. Anyone that was ever connected to Everton should not be anywhere near the club.

Dave: The owners should go to Giovanni van Bronckhorst and beg him to return.

Jimbo: Ferguson and his crew should be installed for the immediate future to stabilise the team, with a view to a permanent appointment if successful.

Chris: Muscat it has to be. A proven winner and a man who knows Rangers. His knowledge of Eastern football markets will be valuable for buying players once we have disposed of some of the mediocrity that appeared courtesy of Martin.

Jim: Dyche or Muscat would be no-nonsense managers who would bring much needed leadership.

Paul: Derek McInnes is the man for the job, but will he leave Hearts?

Stephan: For me either Muscat or Gerrard should be next.

Yvonne: Get Gerrard or Ferguson back.

Fred: Rangers have got to go for Ange Postecoglou, Carlo Ancelotti or Jürgen Klopp.

Robert: Replace Martin and Kevin Thelwell with Ferguson with Andy Halliday as assistant and David Weir as sporting director.

Marwan: I hope Dyche is our next manager.

Alain: Don't even think about bringing Gerrard back. Ferguson deserves to be given to the end of the season if no one else is on the radar.

Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland

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Steven Gerrard is fondly remembered by the majority of Rangers fans for his crowning achievement of winning the Glasgow club their 55th league title and it's fair to say many would love to see him back in the Ibrox dug out in the wake of Russell Martin's exit.

He won the league title without losing a single league game and ended the club's 10-year wait for the honour but would the Liverpool legend be able to hit the ground running in Govan?

We've taken a look back at Gerrard's start to life at Rangers compared to Russell Martin's first seven Scottish Premiership games in charge, and the two aren't so different.

While Martin's fifth draw in seven games was the final nail in the coffin of his tenure, Gerrard's men only recorded one more victory in their opening seven league matches.

Martin's record reads one win, five draws and one defeat, Gerrard oversaw two victories, four draws and also one defeat.

Martin's side have had more shots (92 compared to 67 under Gerrard), Rangers had 32 on target under the former Villa boss as opposed to 31 under Martin.

Martin's Rangers created 13 big chances, scored four and missed nine, while Gerrard's side created two and scored one.

Speaking of goals, Gerrard's men scored 13 in their opening seven Premiership matches, more than double the six scored under Martin.

Defensively Rangers have had to work much harder under Russell Martin. They've won 372 duels and lost 370 while Gerrard's side won 107 and lost 97. Rangers players have made 344 recoveries in total this term while they made zero after the same amount of games under Gerrard.

To Martin's credit, their domestic disciplinary was significantly better with the ex-Southampton boss at the helm. Only one red card and one penalty conceded compared to two penalties conceded and three red cards when Gerrard took charge.

Clearly there was more to like at the top end of the pitch when Gerrard took over and he came through four qualifying rounds to reach the old Europa League group stage and picked up an opening draw away to Villareal then beat Rapid Vienna at home, but the former boss would have to get off to a much better start domestically this time around if he returns to Govan.

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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After Rangers' opening-day draw at Motherwell - on 2 August - Russell Martin contended that what was undermining his team was "not really tactical, it's a mentality problem".

Two months later, following his side's 2-1 defeat to Sturm Graz on 2 October, he said: "It's mentality, not a technical or tactical problem."

There was a enervating familiarity about how the Rangers head coach explained away the outcome of the haphazard performance.

For the two months in between, there were countless Groundhog Days.

What was unfolding on the pitch for over two months was predictable, while Martin's assessment continually had a sense of the inevitable about it too.

The slow start and shoddy defending that allowed Sturm Graz to take command of their Europa League tie also cost them in what turned out to be Martin's last dance in the dugout during the 1-1 draw with Falkirk. Even that could have been a defeat.

They were cold, hard truths that had already long been exhausted by players, pundits and punters alike.

Former Ibrox right-back Alan Hutton slammed the second goal in Graz as "schoolboy stuff" from Rangers, as they allowed a simple free-kick to slice them open.

Martin, of course, pointed to mentality rather than the set-up of his defence who were wiped out by a daisy-cutter.

That was their second game in the Europa League. Their first, a 1-0 home defeat to Genk led to former players tumbling out disparaging words such as: Underwhelming. Predictable. Disillusioned. Out with a whimper. No belief. Out of ideas.

There was no relish within what they said. Not even much anger. Just sadness, regret and frustration.

In what proved to be his final post-match interview, Martin expressed his own frustration, but also hinted he had been too loyal to some of his starters.

He told Sky Sports he "loved" Connor Barron's performance in particular, admitting he "maybe" gave some players too much action amid a myriad of problems.

Back in August, during that scathing Motherwell post-match interview, the former Scotland defender also said "some players have to drop their ego".

A loyalty to certain members of his squad, his system that was never successful under his stewardship at Ibrox and his spiel has earned him the unwanted tag as the man to endure the shortest reign in the Rangers dugout.

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Former Rangers manager Ally McCoist feels the club's new owners and Russell Martin "underestimated" the size of the task at Ibrox before the head coach was sacked.

Martin lasted just 17 games and 123 days in charge and paid the price for a disappointing start after Sunday's 1-1 Premiership draw with Falkirk.

During Martin's tenure, Rangers yielded just five wins in all competitions and he only oversaw one clean sheet in the league, against Celtic.

The former Southampton and Swansea manager was appointed soon after an American consortium secured a majority stake in Rangers but the board now face another major decision.

"We're sitting eighth in the table and we have a negative goal difference so there's no surprise at all," McCoist said on TalkSPORT.

"I think the new owners and certainly the old management staff probably underestimated the size of the job.

"There's a lot of people who maybe just look at Scottish football and say 'Celtic and Rangers will win their games and that's it finished because that's what they do'. But football is a lot more difficult than that.

"I think that aligned to really poor business in the transfer market in terms of recruitment.

"It's easy to blame the manager and that's where the buck stops, we all know that's what happens, but the players have got to take some of the responsibility as well.

"The goals Rangers lost in midweek were incredible.

"Rangers look like wee boys. Falkirk out-ran and out-fought them and that can happen occasionally but it's been happening on a regular basis. It's not good enough."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Steven Naismith is saddened by former Scotland team-mate Russell Martin's departure from the Rangers head coach job but accepts "that's the way it is" in football.

Martin was dismissed shortly after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Falkirk, with Rangers eighth in the Scottish Premiership and having lost their opening two Europa League fixtures.

"From a personal point of view, it's sad," said former Rangers forward Naismith, who is now part of Scotland's coaching staff.

"It's disappointing. I've been there. I understand it and it's not nice. It's not nice when any manager loses their job.

"The way football is, that's the way it is. But results are everything and that's ultimately what football clubs are led by.

"That's the world we're living in at the moment. Every manager in their position feels as if they need time but results dictate everything.

"You need to make sure you get them quickly while you try and make change. But you see it all over the world now, that is the norm. So yeah, it's football."

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An interim such as Barry Ferguson? A former manager like Steven Gerrard? Or someone who has proven themselves in Scottish football like a Derek McInnes type character?

Rangers are now hunting for a "safer pair of hands" in the wake of Russell Martin's sacking and the Times' Scottish football correspondent Michael Grant believes the board will take time, react to what has failed, and swerve in the opposite direction.

"Fundamentally, Russell Martin's style of football was incompatible with Rangers," Grant told BBC Scotland.

"The players weren't good enough to play the way he wanted to play and he didn't recognise or respond to that.

"The problems were multiple and I don't think Martin really read the room. If a manager comes and goes after 17 games and 123 days, that's a pretty spectacular recruitment failure.

"Rangers are pretty well practised in this process because they have sacked managers in 2021, 2022 and twice in 2025, so they know the drill.

"Barry Ferguson was in charge from February to May last season. Ferguson's hinted that he wouldn't come back on an interim basis again but maybe he'll change his mind if that offer becomes real.

"It makes sense for them to take a little bit of time. It's such a financially and even a psychologically draining thing to just churn through managers all the time.

"The Rangers owners now know the toxicity of the reaction that Martin got and I think that would likely push them into what they would regard as a safer pair of hands.

"Whether that's a former manager like Steven Gerrard or looking at a Derek McInnes, who's proven himself in Scottish football, time will tell, but boards tend to react against what has failed and go in an opposite direction."

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Following Sunday's 1-1 draw with Falkirk, which has ultimately marked the end of Russell Martin' reign, Rangers extended their new club record of 24 successive away matches in all competitions without a clean sheet.

A run that had stood since January 1897 was surpassed in Thursday's 2-1 Europa League defeat to Sturm Graz.

He oversaw only one clean sheet in the league, against leaders Celtic.

It's a worrying trend that has persisted now under three previous team bosses - Philippe Clement, Barry Ferguson and now Martin.

Since the turn of the year, Rangers have conceded 61 goals in 45 games in all competitions, an average of 1.35 per game - their highest in a single year since 1.43 in 1961 (when they conceded 77 in 54 games).

Under Martin, they lost six of their 17 matches this season - 35.2% - winning then just 29.4%, the lowest percentage of any Rangers manager in charge for more than 10 games. Michael Beale left with a 72% win rate.

Martin's 123 days in charge is the shortest spell of any permanent Rangers manager - even shorter than Pedro Caixinha's calamitous spell.

Jamie Currie
Fan writer

It's over, and Rangers should use the international break to hire a new head coach.

Russell Martin was an underwhelming appointment to begin with and to be honest, he's a very lucky man to have got this far.

He's not only producing at a team that's taking a sledgehammer to our recent European standing, losing 9-1 to Club Brugge [on aggregate], and then losing both League Phase matches to sides who we would have beaten comfortably last season, but the league form is embarrassing.

Forget how many points we are behind Hearts and Celtic, it's irrelevant. At this point he's managed ONE win in SEVEN games. Bearing in mind we have played Dundee at Ibrox, who were favourites for relegation, and the two promoted sides away from home in those seven. And I doubt they would be sitting in the bottom six with this set of favourable fixtures in the league either.

Martin talks the talk, but that's what he is, a good talker. Unfortunately for us all, he was never a Rangers manager or head coach in a million years. We are fed up of good talkers, and people who promise the world.

It seems simple, but all we want is a team to be proud of. Right now, all we have is complete nonsense and bluster.

The football was boring to watch and most importantly, it's not winning football. It's a failed experiment with an average English Championship manager. It was never personal with Russell Martin, not one bit, you can't expect a serial loser at EPL level to come up here and get a winning team on the park, unless you are arrogant and have no idea of what you are walking into.

This is where Kevin Thelwell, Patrick Stewart, and the owners have to stick their hands up and admit they have misjudged Rangers and Scottish football. It smacks of arrogance, to be honest. You also have to wonder what Fraser Thorton is thinking - season ticket holder on the board - you have to wonder if he had any input into this? I am not laying blame at his door, just wondering how they came to the decision after seven interviews to appoint a guy who got sacked at half-time while five-nil down vs Spurs to a club with the demands of Rangers. It's nonsensical.

But let's be honest, Martin will go down in modern history as the worst Rangers manager ever. Yes, let's remember we have had Graeme Murty and Pedro Caixinha in there – that's some feat.

Wrong guy, wrong club. It was always going to be the case; the only people who didn't see this coming was those who call the shots.

Rangers fans, we asked for your views after Russell Martin was sacked as head coach following Sunday's 1-1 draw against Falkirk.

Here's what some of you had to say:

David: He should never have been given the job in the first place, failed whenever he was employed as the manager. He has taken Rangers backwards and will be difficult to have success this season now.

Ross: Why did it take so long? He was never the fans choice from day one, a serial loser!

Jim: Way too late and too much damage done. I fear for who'll come next, if Thelwell (either of them!) and Patrick Stewart are allowed to remain at the club. It's been a shambles that the new owners seemed unable to recognise or unwilling to reconcile. You look at the list of possible new appointments and it makes my heart sink.

Graeme: It was obvious from the outset that Martin's appointment was questionable. His managerial career was not one of glowing success and nothing he did in his short tenure at Ibrox suggested that he had the talent to create positive change.

Edward: I'm very disappointed, I think he should have been given more time.

Ron: I was one of the "give him a chance brigade" for about the first two months. In the last two months it was very obvious I was wrong. He should never have been appointed.

David: Martin should never been considered in the first place. His track record at previous clubs should have been considered, so ruling him out straight away. The outcome is no surprise and I'm glad to see him gone. Those who appointed him also need to be held to account. The club on the field are a car crash. Worst football I've seen in my 55 years supporting Rangers. Ridiculous that we're looking for our fourth manager in 2025

Chris: About time. This was getting really silly. It was obvious that being an English Premier League failure was not a fitting qualification for managing Rangers.

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Rangers Review Editor Joshua Barrie on Good Morning Scotland

It was a totally broken relationship and when you get to the point where there's an actual safety concern, that situation is broken. One win in seven, that's the type of record you only get away with if you don't deserve to have that type of record. I don't think Russell Martin could argue they deserve many more points than that, that's why he's not been given time to turn it around.

Former Rangers defender Richard Foster on BBC Sportsound

Rangers are being out-run by other teams in the division and that's a sad indictment. They were miles off Falkirk today.

Former Rangers forward Kris Boyd on Sky Sports

Rangers looked disjointed and no doubt, anxious in the second half. Something has to change because this is not good enough. They've not been to Tynecastle, Easter Road, Celtic Park, Pittodrie, Tannadice or Rugby Park. This is only going to get worse if it doesn't change.

It's getting worse. I really don't know what game Russell Martin was watching there if he says 'we created chances and we were unlucky not to win at the end'. Where were the chances? I never seen anything. I mean if there was one team going to go and win that game towards the end, it would have been Falkirk. I don't see it.

Rangers are all over the place at the minute.

Martin there has clearly said you've got to have a style to then win games. No you don't. You don't. You need to find a way to win games. Getting experienced players in will help you do that. Nobody cares about the performances as long as you walk off there with three points. Nobody cares. You can work on things, they're getting worse.

The fans are fed up of listening to excuses, he's on borrowed time.

Former Scotland forward James McFadden

It's about performance levels where you're saying Falkirk probably could have had more out of this game today.

St Mirren could have had more out of their game. Livingston could have had more out of their game. Motherwell should have had more out of their game.

So it's not performances where you're saying Rangers were unlucky but you can see what's coming because the performance levels are so high.

I know that it's a modern way that performance and result go hand in hand, I totally understand that but if you're getting neither then you need to shift your focus onto one of them.

I think we can all agree that if you're going to shift it onto anything it would be results rather than performance in the short term because if you're not winning games, it doesn't matter how good your ideas are, you're never going to get a chance to put them across.

Former Rangers defender Kevin Muscat, currently in charge of Chinese champions and Super League leaders Shanghai Port, has emerged as the early bookmakers' favourite to succeed Russell Martin as Rangers head coach after the Scot was sacked on Sunday. (The Scotsman), external

Kevin Muscat has quickly overtaken former Everton manager Sean Dyche as the favourite with the bookmakers to be Rangers' new head coach. (Scottish Sun), external

Former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is expected to be considered as Rangers look to appoint a new head coach, while Danny Rohl, who recently left financially troubled Sheffield Wednesday, is another name appreciated by senior figures at the Ibrox club, having both been on the shortlist before Russell Martin took charge. (TalkSport), external

Celtic and Rangers, along with a number of English clubs, are being linked with 23-year-old midfielder Pierre Ekwah, who has refused to play for Saint Etienne after their relegation to Ligue 2 amid efforts to terminate his contract and allow him to leave for free despite the French outfit activated his £5.2m release clause to sign him permanently from Sunderland following a loan spell last season. (Football Insider), external

Rangers' decision not to bring Karl Etta Eyong to Ibrox in the summer transfer window for a bargain price now looks foolish, with a report in Spanish outlet Sport revealing that Barcelona are already keen on a deal for the 21-year-old striker who has impressed since joining Levante instead from Villarreal. (TeamTalk), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart, speaking in the wake of the 1-1 draw with Falkirk and shortly before Russell Martin's sacking, said "not one aspect of the Rangers team was functioning properly".

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

In the end, the situation was just too toxic.

After just four months in charge, Russell Martin has been sacked by Rangers, with the club sitting eighth in the league, with just one Premiership win from their first seven matches.

A day that started with the former Southampton boss targeting a third consecutive domestic win, ended with the beleaguered boss having to be escorted away from the ground by stewards and police, before making his way out of Falkirk by car.

The rest of the Rangers party headed for the team bus, initially blocked in by furious fans who wouldn't move until mounted police forced them back with their horses.

After 17 games overall that yielded only five wins, it's an ignominious end to the shortest managerial tenure in Rangers history.

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Rangers released a short statement when announcing the parting of company with Russell Martin.

The club acknowledged that "while all transition periods require some time, results have not met the club's expectations.".

The former Scotland defender managed just five wins in his 17 games in charge.

He leaves Ibrox alongside his assistant head Coach, Matt Gill, and first-team coach, Mike Williamson.

The club statement said: "Russell and his staff have worked exceptionally hard throughout their time at the club.

"We thank them for their efforts and wish them well for the future."