admin“You heard it here first”- Three Rangers managers contender emerge to instantly replace Russell Martin
A former Championship manager, a Dutch legend, a Premier League and a Rangers title winner are all contenders to replace Russell Martin.
The Gers boss was sacked on Sunday and a shortlist is already forming with options to take the pressured hot seat at Ibrox.
Martin finally succumbed to that pressure after a 1-1 draw away at Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership, being dismissed on the same day.
He was given a police escort away from the stadium following the game, with Rangers fans expressing their anger post-match.
They sit eighth in the league table and nine points behind bitter rivals Celtic amid their nightmare start to the season.
So, whoever takes the role from Martin will have a tough job to turn things around and get the club back on track…
Danny Rohl
talkSPORT understands that former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl is appreciated by senior figures at Rangers.
Rohl is free for a new job following a chaotic end to his time with the Owls, amid late wage payments and a revolt.
The German didn’t initially return for pre-season this summer, leaving his players angry and all but ending his spell.
He would then leave in late July, just days before Wednesday’s first game of the Championship season.
Despite a rough ending, Rohl boasted an impressive record with the Owls, pushing for the play-offs on a limited budget last term.
Rohl’s only senior management role was at Hillsborough, with multiple assistant jobs at Germany, Bayern Munich and Southampton preceding that.
Steven Gerrard
Ex-Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is expected to be a contender to become boss for a second time.
The Liverpool icon was on the Gers’ shortlist of options before Martin was appointed last summer.
He took charge of the Scottish giants in 2018 in what was his first senior managerial role since retiring from football, going on to win the Scottish title in spectacular fashion.
Gerrard spent three years in the job before moving on to Aston Villa.
At Villa, he was only in the role for less than a year though, winning 13 of his 40 games before he was sacked in October 2022.
The ex-midfielder then headed to Saudi Arabia and became Al Ettifaq manager in July 2023, leaving in January of this year.
Mark van Bommel
talkSPORT understands that Mark van Bommel would be interested in the vacant Rangers job.
He’s been available for a new job since leaving Royal Antwerp where he won the Belgian Pro League in 2022/23.
Van Bommel was also one of the names approached over the summer before Martin got the job.
And the Dutch legend is now a contender once again.
He has held three managerial roles since 2018, taking charge of PSV from then until 2019 and Wolfsburg for just three months.
The German side sacked Van Bommel in October 2021 after 13 games following an eight-game winless run.
Derek McInnes
McInnes has guided Hearts to the top of the Premiership table after the opening seven games.
An unbeaten start has yielded six wins and a draw, with the Edinburgh outfit sitting two points clear at the top over Celtic.
The 54-year-old, who won the Scottish league title and the Scottish Cup during his five-year spell as a player between 1995-2000, is understood to be a potential option for Rangers.
And it is believed that he would be open to the possibility of a return to the Glaswegian giants.
Though talkSPORT understands that Kevin Muscat – in charge of Chinese side Shanghai Port – isn’t in consideration to return.
Muscat, who won the Chinese Super League and FA Cup in 2024, spent the 2002/03 campaign at Rangers, where he was part of their historic domestic treble-winning term.
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