Chris Jack warns new Rangers boss will fail if they cannot crack the code of Scottish football
Chris Jack has claimed any Rangers manager that is appointed at Ibrox needs to be capable of meeting the unique demands of Scottish football or risk complete failure.
Jack suggests that if the boss does not have a plan to overcome the committed deep defensive blocks Rangers often face in the Scottish Premiership then they will quickly be found out, as Michael Beale was.
He also slammed the recruitment at Ibrox for building the team around Beale, leaving little room for manoeuvre for any new boss, particularly one who prefers to utilise quick and direct wingers.
Writing in his column for Rangers Review [9 October], Jack commented on the recruitment at Ibrox: “The issue that Beale’s successor has is that the squad has been assembled in the image of the former manager.
“A coach that seeks to utilise wingers to attack with width and pace and to press from the front could well struggle given the limitations of the group, even when the treatment room is cleared and all of Rangers’ forward options are available for selection once again.”
He then went on to clarify what will be expected of the new boss: “The demands of Scottish football are unique in many ways and a manager that cannot crack the code will quickly fail.
“If you do not have a plan for overcoming well-organised, committed teams that defend deep and in numbers, you are destined to come up short and Rangers must have that tactical astuteness and flexibility in mind throughout.”
A lot of work cut out
The new boss will certainly have his work cut out for him when he arrives at Ibrox. Not only was the summer recruitment disastrous in terms of the personnel and their performances, but it has left little wiggle room for the new boss to experiment.
Jack highlighted the wide areas of the pitch for good reason. Abdallah Sima has been the only real constant out wide, with Rabbi Matondo and now Zak Lovelace seemingly injured, Scott Wright is left as the only other winger available.
They will also have to deal with misfiring strikers such as Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers, who arrived in the summer for a combined £6million and have failed to make their mark on this Rangers team.
Ultimately, the majority of teams set up with a defensive unit aiming to frustrate the Ibrox team. The new boss will have to be somebody who understands how to break this down, or he will struggle.
In other Rangers news, sources have claimed one boss is ‘desperate’ to join Rangers.