Rangers can't exclude best-qualified candidates in manager hunt

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When Giovanni van Bronckhorst was appointed Rangers manager last November the decision was almost unanimously-popular. No other candidate boasted the Dutchman’s blend of Ibrox experience and coaching credentials.

The current search a year on is different. Nobody seems to totally unite the support, partly due to the circumstances an incumbent boss will inherit and the available options on the market.

Van Bronckhorst found a team four points ahead at the top of the league and a squad still in relatively good health, even if rumblings of a post-title drop in form persisted. His successor will step in with the squad trailing Celtic by nine, having looked at the end of a cycle for much of the season and in a far more fragile state.

Perhaps that’s why there are so many contrasting views regarding who should be the imminent appointment.

Some will argue that van Bronckhorst’s era is further proof of the need to go with a tried and trusted name who understands the unique demands of Scottish football. Others will lament that view as the equivalent of putting blinders on a managerial hunt, limiting options due to old-fashioned views. Surely the best manager, capable of producing the most effective football will have the most likely chance of success at Rangers?

At any big club, such a decision is never simple with context always imperative. There is such a thing as being naïve. Some may possess all the tactical knowledge in the world while lacking the appreciation of Ibrox to implement change. A Rangers manager’s every word faces scrutiny and every action critique and any appointment will bring risk.

Sean Dyche fits the mould of what many desire in a Rangers manager, possessing a no-nonsense persona and carrying a certain aura. Undoubtedly he would turn this squad into a more robust, evidently hard-working and aggressive unit. Where doubts do exist is regarding his playing style.

Would Dyche be able to produce a team capable of beating the low-block and setting the tempo in possession? In that regard, this job description is polar opposite to his role at Burnley. Even if the achievement of keeping the club afloat for so long in the Premier League is often unfairly overshadowed by the direct style used.

“You want to play effectively, I see too many teams play non-effective football,” he said speaking about his style of play on the Athletic Football Podcast recently.

“What do you [the club] have to play ‘the right way’? Do we roll it out six yards along the back have 4000 passes and score the goal. If you have the players to do that I have no problem with that whatsoever.

“If you have a more highly-technical group you’ll play more highly-technical football. That’s common sense and logic. At Burnley we wanted to play, we just had to do it in a way that won football matches.”

Dyche may be open to alternatives and perhaps like Steven Gerrard could play the figurehead with a skilled first-team coach taking lead on the training pitch. But is he the best available option?

Let’s not forget, van Bronckhorst’s problem was a footballing one. He lost his job because of an inability to consistently create chances against deep defences and rack up the required points week-on-week. Rangers lacked a clear identity in possession that's required in modern football against highly-organised defences. 

The new manager needs to lead well and lift confidence, of course. Arguably the best way to achieve that is by producing a style of football that gets the most out of the current squad. There is no antidote in football quite like winning matches.

Michael Beale arguably fits into both camps the best. He knows the club and the club knows the type of football he can coach. Although QPR are winless in their last five games, his start in the Championship has been impressive given the resources available to him. Wolves were after him for a reason and his impact on the football produced by Rangers' title-winning team of 2021 can't be overstated. 

On the other hand, Gerrard’s era also had drawbacks. By the end, the tactical blueprint became too predictable and repeated cup failures were all too common. Beale isn’t experienced as a manager. Although he is out on his own now, is looking to the past the way forward for Rangers?

The likes of Gerardo Seoane and Kjetil Knutsen have to be considered. Because what they lack in Dyche’s traditional appeal and Beale’s Rangers credentials, they more than make up for on the CV front.

Seoane, out of work after being sacked by Bayer Leverkusen, earned a move to one of Germany’s biggest clubs after domestic dominance with Young Boys in Switzerland, where he won three successive league titles. After achieving a third-place finish in the Bundesliga last season, Leverkusen’s highest finish in seven years, Seoane was sacked following a disappointing start to the current campaign.

54-year-old Knusten has only managed in his native Norway but the success he has achieved with Bodo/Glimt is well-known. Successive titles on a tiny budget, scalps in Europe and a progressive, proactive possession-based style of football have earned much adulation.

Circumstances always dictate but Rangers must make this crucial decision in isolation. Picking the best-qualified coach, capable of producing the best football will offer the best chance of success.

READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR: 

• Michael Beale's Rangers tactical philosophy explained
• How Rangers' new manager could choose to set-up
• The story of Giovanni van Bronckhorst's Rangers reign