The Ibrox messengers have been told that there will be no managerial appointment this week.
Phil Clement was sacked on February 24 but almost three months down the line there is no sign of white smoke to replace A Proper Football Manager.
Barry Ferguson was almost instantly installed as interim manager but on Sunday he was thanked for his services with a ‘no thanks’ tweet which prompted the Gullible & Deluded into believing that the appointment of a new manager was imminent.
In an ideal world that would come on Friday to overshadow the Scottish Cup Final, back in 2016 Celtic used that tactic perfectly with the appointment of Brendan Rodgers- since 20 May 2016 the Ibrox club has been chasing their tale with the history books rewritten.
Last week there was a frenzy of expectation around Davide Ancelotti taking on the managers job, the claims were so strong that Ferguson had a petted lip at his media conference to discuss the match against Dundee United.
The interim boss claimed that he had been shown a lack of respect because he was Scottish, ignoring his record of six wins in 17 matches wearing the blazer and brogues.
Since Monday the message has been that Steven Gerrard is on the verge of returning to Ibrox, today that balloon was slowly let down with the Daily Record reporting:
Rangers fans have been warned they may be waiting for a new manager until next week at the earliest – as the clamour for confirmation of Steven Gerrard’s second coming reaches fever pitch.
Record Sport revealed on Tuesday that the former Ibrox boss has asked for time to talk the move through with his wife and family as speculation mounts that he’s on the brink of a second term in the hotseat.
But that came against the noisy backdrop of rampant speculation with some bookmakers refusing to take any more bets on the Liverpool and England legend being announced as Philippe Clement’s replacement.
But sources at the club insist that no agreement is imminent and remain adamant that incoming sporting director Kevin Thelwell and Gretar Steinsson of the San Francisco 49ers – who are leading the chase for a new boss – have yet to select a preferred candidate for the position.
The club’s hierarchy is sticking firmly to the party line that no offers have been made to any of the men who have been spoken to by Thelwell and Steinsson and, furthermore, that no agreement is expected to be thrashed out before the end of this week.
The managerial farce is running in tandem with the so-called takeover, another outstanding Daily Record WORLD EXCLUSIVE.
Talks apparently started in October, the Record ran with the story on February 19 but since then the club appears to be on hold at every level.
Perhaps it is connected to losses for the current season of around £25m with Paddy Stewart ready to impose a programme of austerity that is likely to result in a team sheet including Liam Kelly, Josh Mulligan, John Souttar, Connor Barron, Lyall Cameron and Lawrence Shankland at the start of next season.
Today’s message takes some of the heat off the club as the media turns their attention to the Scottish Cup Final.
By Tuesday of next week, May 27 the clock is starting to tick down to the players returning to training on June 23 with the Second Round Champions League qualifier on July 22/23 and 29/30.
Any spending on players is likely to be delayed until July 1, the start of a new financial year which should see hysteria levels go off the radar as the clock ticks towards those Champions League qualifiers.
On the plus side Ben Davies, Kieron Dowell, Jose Cifuentes and Rabbi Matondo have returned to Ibrox following their loan spells.
RELATED READING:
- Lambs to the slaughter- Kris Boyd’s final fears for Aberdeen
- Rodgers speaks out on his contract plans
Chris’s ITK reputation is taking a pounding on this
— Gav Alexander (@_GavAlexander) May 21, 2025