George Overhill

Mon 2 October 2023 18:45, UK

Steven Davis is not likely to be in the running to take over the Rangers manager role permanently at this stage as it has come “far too early” for him, says Chris Jack.

The journalist said on the Rangers Review Morning Briefing on 2 October, the morning after Michael Beale’s sacking was announced by the club, that many feel the Northern Irishman “could be the Rangers manager one day” but his current interim appointment does not amount to a “job interview”.

The 38-year-old is heading up a management team also including Alex Rae for the time being, after Beale was fired on 1 October in the wake of the latest loss to Aberdeen, with the midfielder having been kept at the club to recover from a serious knee injury suffered last season.

Jack said (17m 15s): “I would be very surprised. One, Steven doesn’t actually have the required coaching credentials at present. Rangers can get through the situation over the next couple of weeks, but the way the statement read last night it didn’t sound as if it was a job interview.

“They’ve got two experienced guys. They know the club, they know the league, will demand huge respect [with] Steven Davis having to make that transition from being part of the playing squad and being around Auchenhowie over the last couple of months when he’s come back from his injury.

“But I think it comes far too early for him. Over the last [15] years we’ve all thought that Steve Davis could be Rangers manager one day [but] nobody would have assumed that he would be in the dug-out for a Europa League game this soon.

“I don’t see it being a long-term thing.”

Not now

If there is one thing that Beale has proven it is that a familiarity with the club is not enough to lead to success in the top job on its own.

Davis seems the sort of character who is highly likely to head into management once he retires, and likely be very good at it, but it would be a major risk to attempt to leave him in charge right now even if it were possible.

Steven Gerrard may have been inexperienced when he took over and the former Liverpool captain turned out to be a risk that paid off.

But Beale himself was only a matter of months into his managerial career, and the coaching experience he had as an assistant led to a tenure of less than a year and no trophies.

Barring a spectacular lift in results immediately it seems extremely unlikely that the club would be looking anywhere but externally to appoint someone with a proven record in management.

Whoever now comes in is going to have to pick up the pieces of their predecessor’s (so far) failed rebuild this summer, with the majority of the new signings flattering to deceive.

Something that resembles an exciting playing style will be close to a lot of fans’ lists of priorities after some time of watching less-than flowing football, but there is no doubt the club have found themselves in a hole right now.

In other Rangers news, a current SPFL boss has been named as a possible “contender” to take over permanently from Beale.