Rangers Next Manager Odds: Where next for Ibrox board after Kevin Muscat snag?

We may have hit a snag in Rangers' pursuit of Kevin Muscat.

The Ibrox club's search for a new manager seemingly lurches from one crisis to another. First there was the stunning change of events over the weekend after frontrunner Steven Gerrard rejected a return citing the 'timing' of the opportunity.

Seemingly, then, the path was clear for Danny Rohl, but his odds quickly took a tumble amid doubts as to whether the former Sheffield Wednesday manager could handle the expectations in G51.

Next it seemed that Muscat would take the job but now that is in doubt. StartFragment That's because the Chinese Super League season (Muscat's Shanghai Port hold a two-point lead at the top) has four matches to go and doesn’t finish until 22 November, making negotiations difficult.

Where next for the Rangers board? The bookmakers appear undecided...

Next Rangers manager betting odds

Having been odds on across the board yesterday, Paddy Power have now gone 6/4 on the Rangers board 'waiting' for Muscat and hiring him once his Chinese commitments have concluded.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still high on the agenda, as is Rohl, while Derek McInnes' position in the market has remained pretty steady across the last 10 days.

Gerrard has not been completely ruled out by the bookmakers according to the latest odds, while Chris Wilder's name has been thrown into the hat despite him only recently returning for a third spell at Bramall Lane with Sheffield United.

Sean Dyche, rumoured to be on Forest's radar to replace Ange Postecoglou), is a 25/1 chance.

Who will be the next Rangers manager?

Despite the potential complication of his commitments in China, Kevin Muscat remains the bookmakers' favourite to replace Russell Martin at Rangers.

The 52-year-old was previously with Japanese side Yokohama Marinos having spent the majority of his coaching career in his native Australia with Melbourne Victory.

He won both the A-League Championship (twice) and A-League Premiership. A 'hard man' from his playing days, Muscat was part of the Rangers side which won a treble of domestic trophies in 2002/03.

Solskjaer spent three years as Man United manager between December 2018 and November 2021, winning 54% of his matches and taking his side to the final of the Europa League. He has been out of work since leaving Besiktas in August after a brief 29-match spell.

Rohl, meanwhile, was among the favourites when the market after Martin's dismissal on October 5 and had seemingly been given a second chance by Gerrard's stunning change of heart.

The 36-year-old did 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.

He 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.

Why did Steven Gerrard turn down Rangers return?

Steven Gerrard was originally the preferred choice over Dyche and Muscat, as well as others including Rohl, McInnes and Stephen Robinson.

Gerrard, 45, enjoyed a hugely successful spell as Rangers manager from 2018 to 2021, the highlight of which was an unbeaten championship season in 2020–21.

That 102-point campaign stopped Celtic from winning the title 10 times in a row and remains the last time Rangers (or anyone else) finished ahead of Celtic, who are chasing a fifth successive title in 2025/26 under Brendan Rodgers.

Gerrard left Rangers for Premier League side Aston Villa in November 2021 with a 64.8% win rate across all competitions and his reputation on the rise. A mixed spell at Villa and an unsuccessful period in the Saudi Professional League had seemingly not put off the Rangers board. 

However, despite opening talks over a return - which are thought to have gone well - the 45-year-old has decided it is the wrong time for him to be coming back.

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Why was Russell Martin sacked as Rangers manager?

Russell Martin lasted just 17 matches in the job, losing six of those matches across all competitions. They were thumped in their bid to enter the Champions League proper, lost both of their matches in the Europa League and scored just six goals to gather eight points from seven league matches.

The day he took the job on 5th June, Rangers were a 2/1 chance to win the Scottish Premiership. Four months later, they are given just an 8% chance of winning the title at odds of 11/1 on Sky Bet.

 A 1-1 draw at Falkirk was the final straw but in truth the writing had been on the wall for some time.

The only moderate surprise for some UK football fans will be that he failed to outlast Ruben Amorim at Man United or Ange Postecoglou at Nottingham Forest. His sacking came at a busy time of managerial change as Steve Bruce was given just 11 matches by Blackpool and Matt Bloomfield sacked by Luton.

Around two weeks passed between serious speculation first mounted about Martin's future as Rangers manager and then his subsequent sacking.

The Gers had quickly exited the Champions League after an embarrassing 9-1 aggregate defeat to Club Brugge, a team which has hardly set the world alight since in the Belgian Pro League.

Rangers have since lost both their Europa League group games to sit 32nd out of 36 sides in the table, while Sunday's draw at Falkirk left them 11 points off the Scottish Premiership pace after just seven matches, having scored just six goals (only Aberdeen and St Mirren have managed less).

List of Rangers managers since Steven Gerrard