Even though his Rangers side are firmly in contention for a second-place finish in just their first season back in the top-tier, Mark Warburton is under pressure at Ibrox.
The 54-year-old relocated to Glasgow in 2015 and helped the Gers make it back to the big time after their well-known fall to the lower reaches of the Scottish football pyramid, and even picked up a Scottish Challenge Cup on the way for good measure.
Alas, the pressure and expectation that comes with coaching one of Britain's biggest clubs means that anything less than a serious challenge for the title is bad news and with Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic already way, way over the horizon at the top of the tree, a scrap with Aberdeen for the runners-up spot will be how the 2016/17 season ends.
But, the campaign may indeed reach its climax without Warburton in the Rangers hot-seat with murmurs of his position being under threat already, while public comments from ex-Celtic man Davie Provan (via the Daily Record, as shown below) have done little to ease the storm ahead of a banana-skin-in-waiting cup tie vs. Morton this weekend:
“I think if Rangers were to lose at the weekend the supporters would make their feelings pretty clear.
“He is now starting to lose the body of the kirk if you like and it could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Earlier this week we asked Rangers fans who they’d like to succeed Warburton should the axe indeed fall, and here the THREE most popular candidates…
3) Graeme Souness
Even though he’s been out of top-level management since 2006, Souness is a popular choice among Rangers fans. The 54-time Scotland international was a no-nonsense midfield hard-man in his day and this persona has transferred to his post-playing career. His coaching record is patchy, but the 63-year-old speaks a lot of sense when on the Sky Sports sofa and given his Rangers links, he’ll be warmly welcomed by swathes of the Ibrox crowd.
2) Derek McInnes
The current landscape of the Scottish Premiership table would mean that McInnes would be stepping down a spot in terms of leaving Aberdeen to take over at Rangers, but we all know that the Glasgow job carries far more significance and will give this promising coach the chance to make a real mark.
Since taking over the Dons in 2013, McInnes has helped them to a League Cup victory and kept them in the title race alongside Celtic for much of the 2015/16 campaign, showing his managerial nous. But European football has evaded him and the club, with Europa League qualification defeats suffered during the last three campaigns.
1) Alex McLeish
Sometimes you need to go back to go forwards and Rangers fans see McLeish as a good option. The 58-year-old knows the club well having won two league titles, three cups and three League Cups during his stint at Ibrox and the memories of his departure seem to have faded.
Since that 2006 exit, McLeish has managed Scotland, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Genk, with his most recent job coming in Egypt with Zamalek, which was not exactly a success – the Scot was appointed in late February 2016 and sacked by the May 2nd of the same year.
Alas, Rangers need some stability right now if they are to seriously challenge Celtic next season, so having a wise old head with knowledge of the club and the passion to down the Hoops could be a good thing.
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