Harry Redknapp and Rafa Benitez mooted for Rangers as BBC pundit laughs off ‘offensive’ suggestion to replace Michael Beale
Leanne Crichton has dismissed the idea that Harry Redknapp or Rafa Benitez would be realistic options to replace Michael Beale at Rangers.
The visibly surprised BBC pundit responded to a caller on The Go Radio Football Show, in a clip posted to Twitter, (9 September) to rule out the two English FA Cup winners, as well as former St Johnstone boss Callum Davidson, with the Gers manager coming under heavy fire after another defeat to Celtic on top of a thrashing in Europe at PSV Eindhoven.
The Motherwell player also laughed off the idea that she would be a better option than Beale as “quite offensive” given the implication that the current Ibrox boss is so bad anyone would do instead.
To the suggestion that the caller would rather have her in charge the pundit replied: “I think that’s quite offensive Sean if I’m being honest.”
On the Redknapp and Benitez suggestions she added: “Right, I’m going to tell you now Harry Redknapp I don’t think’s coming to Scotland. Rafa Benitez, I don’t think he would either.
“Callum Davidson, I don’t think at this stage in his career, coming off the back of a sacking, he would get the job.”
Pie in the sky
There is frankly no chance that Redknapp is going to be taking the Rangers job, not least because of the fact that commuting to Auchenhowie from Sandbanks on the south coast of England would be a stretch.
And the former Tottenham and West Ham boss is surely past being a viable option anyway, having not coached anywhere since leaving Birmingham City six years ago.
It is probably harder to rule Benitez out of any job these days, especially if his former Champions League-winning captain Steven Gerrard put in a good word, but given he is currently employed in La Liga with Celta Vigo he is not going to be rocking up at Ibrox any time soon.
The mood is distinctly turning against Beale after his newly assembled squad have struggled so far this season but, whatever Davidson’s merits, it is unlikely John Bennett is going to get the fanbase back onside to hand the keys to him after he lost his job in Perth less than six months ago.
If the current Rangers manager puts together a winning run from this point he can probably still turn things around, since the chairman wasn’t ready to make a change over the international break.
But without results improving substantially there is going to be a – more realistic – option on the horizon to replace him.
In other Rangers news, Beale and the board may be at odds after it emerged that “somebody’s telling porkies”.