Rangers new manager: England coach ‘up for’ Ibrox job as Wayne Rooney claim made
Rangers had a lot of joy with Steven Gerrard as their manager and could repeat the trick with another England legend.
Barry Ferguson has been installed as Rangers’ caretaker manager until the end of the season following Philippe Clement’s sacking on Sunday (23 February) in the aftermath of a 2-0 defeat against St Mirren at Ibrox.
With a consortium, including Paraag Marathe of 49ers Enterprises and Leeds United, in talks over a takeover of the Glasgow giants, a decision regarding the next permanent manager may not be taken until that is finalised.
However, rumours about who could be the next manager to take the reins at Ibrox remain rife, while pundits and fans continue to speculate about the Scottish Premiership heavyweights’ future.
Carlton Cole tips Ashley Cole for Rangers job
Ashley Cole is the latest coach linked with the hot seat at Rangers, with The Dressing Room podcast hosts throwing his name into the hat.
Carlton Cole is on board with the idea of Ashley taking charge of the Gers and reckons he is up for the challenge too despite not having experience as a head coach at first team level.
Speaking on The Dressing Room podcast (25 February), Carlton said: “Cole, he’s up for it, isn’t he?”
| Team | Role | Year |
| England | National Coach | 2024- |
| England | Assistant Manager (to Lee Carsley) | 2024 |
| Birmingham | Assistant Manager (to Wayne Rooney, Tony Mowbray, Gary Rowett, Chris Davies, Mark Venus, Steve Spooner) | 2023-24 |
| Chelsea | Assistant Manager (to Frank Lampard) | 2023 |
| Everton | Assistant Manager (to Frank Lampard) | 2022-2023 |
| England Under-21s | Assistant Manager (to Lee Carsley) | 2021-2024 |
| Chelsea Youth | Manager | 2019-2022 |
When Wayne Bridge expressed his desire to see ‘someone’ give Ashley a chance, Carlton stressed the need for the Chelsea icon to apply for the job and pointed out how Wayne Rooney has had multiple jobs due to his reputation.
“Someone will give him a chance, you just have to apply”, the West Ham legend explained. “Wayne Rooney has had how many chances now.”
Carlton also shed light on how Ashley has improved as a coach, saying: “His communication has got better as well.”
Ashley Cole could follow Gerrard’s footsteps
Rangers was Gerrard’s first job as a first-team manager and that proved to be a fruitful stint for both parties as he led them to Scottish Premiership glory in the 2020-21 season.
The England legend only had experience coaching at various age levels at Liverpool before he moved to Ibrox.
Cole, on the other hand, has garnered experience from different clubs, including Chelsea and England, while also assisting Carsley in the England national team during an interim spell.
So, there is no reason why the 44-year-old cannot succeed in a first-team manager role at a club like Rangers, although it does involve a certain amount of risk for the employers.