Sean Dyche and Ralph Hasenhuttl serious contenders for Rangers job – Charlie Nicholas
Ralph Hasenhuttl are “serious contenders” for the Rangers job if Giovanni van Bronckhorst is sacked, according to Charlie Nicholas.
Austrian Hasenhuttl was sacked as Southampton boss on Monday (7 November) after nearly four years in the Premier League, while Englishman Dyche lost his job at Burnley in April after almost a decade in charge, largely in the English top flight.
The Gers boss is under major pressure having presided over an historically bad Champions League campaign, which was then followed by a shock defeat at St. Johnstone on Sunday (6 November) that leaves Rangers seven points behind Celtic in the SPFL, and Nicholas believes the board will now come under major pressure from the fans to make a change.
The long-time Sky Sports pundit said in the Scottish Daily Express: “If the Rangers board was to move on Giovanni van Bronckhorst then you would expect the likes of Sean Dyche and Ralph Hasenhuttl to be serious contenders to replace him.
“Dyche and Hasenhuttl are both managers that Rangers sporting director Wilson has worked with in the past and has relationships with. They are both out of a job and could be options if the Dutchman is set to come to the end of the road. Dyche, would install a belief and a battling quality but I don’t think he can build a team – I didn’t see too many youngsters at Burnley.
“Would either of them come up to Scotland? They probably would as it would give them the chance to pick up silverware and to improve their CVs and get a chance in Europe, like Brendan Rodgers did.
“Rangers fans just want results and nothing else. That was why some reacted and wanted answers from the team at McDiarmid Park. If the gap is not closed by this weekend then the board will be put under pressure by the supporters, who have been disgruntled for the last three months.
“If there is still the same points difference between Celtic and Rangers then the Ibrox board has to look into the market to see what other manager options are there.”
Candidates
The Ibrox board appear to be either unwilling or unable to make a change at manager right now, giving the Dutchman another chance to turn things around.
No fans would be complaining if he succeeds in doing so, but recent weeks haven’t provided much evidence of that being likely.
The morale within the squad looks extremely low, with even midfield general John Lundstram appearing visibly defeated at times this weekend.
If results don’t pick up soon the atmosphere in the stands on match day is likely to turn even more sour, which in turn will make it less likely that the team lifts itself out of this slump, meaning a move might be forced.
Should that happen Dyche and Hasenhuttl are two recognised names who could steady the ship if the money is there to tempt them.
Dyche feels like the better fit, having more of a history of stability and working with small budgets at Turf Moor.
He has spoken about looking for a return to the Premier League, but also that he wouldn’t rule other leagues out (BBC, 29 September), so he could maybe be convinced.
However, if he was looking at Rangers as a stepping stone back to the Premier League that is unlikely to be popular with a lot of supporters who were unhappy at how Steven Gerrard jumped ship when given the opportunity.
In other Rangers news, one senior player looks like he has “downed tools” and now “wants to leave” along with Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos.