Kilmarnock boss Derek McInnes main ‘contender’ for Rangers job from current SPFL managers after Michael Beale sack
Derek McInnes would be “a contender” for the Rangers job from current SPFL managers after Michael Beale was sacked, according to The Times.
The newspaper noted on their website on 2 October, the morning after the 43-year-old’s removal, that Graham Potter and Kevin Muscat had both recently been linked to the job, but named the Kilmarnock boss as the main option currently working in the Scottish top flight.
Steven Davis is currently in charge on an interim basis, with Beale having not made it through a full year before his sacking, which was arguably set in motion by an opening-day 1-0 loss against McInnes’ side at Rugby Park.
Rangers are now looking for a new manager for the third season running, after Giovanni van Bronckhorst took over for the departed Steven Gerrard, and was then sacked a year later for Beale prior to the Qatar World Cup.
Viable?
Since the 55th title win it has essentially been domestic form that has been the major issue at Ibrox, not least in Old Firm derbies.
Following Gerrard’s departure for the Aston Villa job in November 2021, taking Beale with him as an assistant at the time, Rangers have only beaten Celtic twice – once after extra time to reach the Scottish Cup final two seasons ago under Van Bronckhorst, and in the dead rubber league game at the end of last term.
So perhaps a manager with experience in Scottish football makes sense for the next option, and McInnes has already beaten the Hoops this year to knock them out of the League Cup.
John Bennett and the board could probably do worse than to look at the 52-year-old former Gers midfielder, but his overall record of seven wins in 40 attempts against Celtic is unlikely to blow supporters away [Transfermarkt].
Unfortunately for Rangers Ange Postecoglou proved with depressing ease that experience in the SPFL is not required to have success.
Arguably even more than results the club need to be searching for a manager who has an identifiable style of play that people actually want to watch.
But, having spent heavily in the summer it is going to have to be somebody who has a plan for the using the new recruits, as there must now be doubts over the club’s ability to fully restock the squad once again in the image of another new boss.
In other Rangers news, one of the players that Beale got rid of has given his seal of approval to the Englishman’s sacking.