A woeful start to the season for Rangers and for Russell Martin, both domestically and in Europe, continued this week as they suffered a 1-0 loss at Ibrox against Genk in the opening match of their league phase campaign in the UEFA Europa League.
The reason they are in Europe’s second-tier club competition is because they suffered a humiliating 9-1 aggregate loss to Genk’s Belgian compatriots Club Brugge in the playoffs for the Champions League.
They may well have progressed into the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup last weekend, albeit they have been drawn against Old Firm rivals Celtic, but their domestic form has also been abysmal for their own standards with the Bears yet to win in their opening six Scottish Premiership outings - and it seems almost inevitable that Martin will now be sacked.
Next Rangers Manager Betting Odds
| Manager | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sean Dyche | 11/4 |
| Steven Gerrard | 10/3 |
| Danny Rohl | 4/1 |
| Gary O'Neil | 9/2 |
| Jose Mourinho | 6/1 |
*Betting odds above are with BetVictor.
Who is the favourite to be the next Rangers manager?
According to the latest betting odds, the leading candidate to take the job in Glasgow should Martin be relieved of his duties is Sean Dyche (11/4). The former Burnley boss has been out of work since leaving Everton at the start of this year.
Dyche was with Burnley for ten years and helped them gain two promotions to the Premier League, with a top-flight high of finishing seventh, whilst helping Everton to narrowly avoid relegation.
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Who else is in the running according to the betting odds?
Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard has most recently been managing in Saudi Arabia before being sacked mid-way through last season by an underperforming Al Ettifaq side, having previously underperformed at Aston Villa, replaced by Unai Emery.
The former Liverpool and England captain got the Villa job as a result of preventing Celtic’s ten titles in a row push by winning Rangers their first league title in nearly a decade in 2021.
Danny Rohl
Danny Rohl had done an excellent job at Sheffield Wednesday before off-field issues begin to bite him and the club over the summer, leading to a likely relegation this season.
Rohl left the club before the start of the campaign after spending the majority of the summer reportedly touting himself to potential suitors in the Championship, and even being linked with Rangers
Gary O’Neil
Gary O’Neil was perhaps harshly sacked by AFC Bournemouth at the time but have since improved under Andoni Iraola. The same happened with Vitor Pereira improving Wolverhampton Wanderers last season.
O’Neil has been without a job since last December, when he left Molineux with Wolves sitting rock-bottom in the Premier League table and destined for the drop.
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has previously said he would be open to managing Rangers and the Portuguese coach was recently sacked by Fenerbahce after their failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
However, a move to Ibrox seems unlikely as, in the meantime, the former Chelsea manager has since taken the job at Benfica, replacing Bruno Lage in Lisbon.
Steven Gerrard’s Record at Rangers
The best, and perhaps only, managerial success for Steven Gerrard has come in Glasgow, with the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership title.
That was his only trophy won in his three-and-a-bit-year stint at Rangers. During his time at the club, they played in 193 matches with Gerrard coming away with a 64.8% win rate and some excellent results in the UEFA Europa League.
How many trophies has Jose Mourinho won?
During his storied managerial career, Jose Mourinho has established himself as one of the greatest managers of all time, despite the dip in his career.
Beginning at Benfica in a temporary role, where he is now, and beginning to make his name at Uniao de Leiria, Mourinho made his name at Porto before enjoying success at Chelsea and Inter Milan. He won but began to frazzle at Real Madrid – and the same then happened again at Chelsea before a major dip at Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Roma and Fenerbahce.
Even during that dip, Mourinho still won trophies with United and Roma. Overall, the 62-year-old has won 26 trophies, with the most recent being the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League with Roma and the first the 2002/03 Portuguese title with Porto.