With the transfer window now
open, and Rangers confirmed as remaining in the Championship for another year, ‘Silly
Season’ does not even begin to cover the number of names being linked with a
move to Ibrox – be it as manager, coach, player or Director of Football.
Let us take a trip through the
current names being touted for a permanent trip to Govan.
Scott Allan. Rated at £500,000, the Hibernian midfielder is a
Rangers fan but McCoist missed the boat on his signature last summer and now
Rangers’ new regime apparently wants to snare the creative fulcrum. They face
competition, not least from Celtic.
Lewis Macleod. As yet this story has not fully materialised in the
press, but if Warburton clinches the management slot with Weir his assistant,
you can be guaranteed Macleod’s name will be all over the media. And the player
himself has stated he did not want to leave and wishes to return.
Mark Warburton. Has held talks with Ibrox chiefs as confirmed by
himself, but the situation is no further on than it was. He says he is ‘waiting
on the call’ from Rangers to take it further.
David Weir. Comes with the Warburton package.
Derek McInnes. Reports yesterday claim Rangers’ board has turned
its attention to the Aberdeen
manager, to ‘open the field’ and build competition for the role. McInnes would
be hard to tempt away from Pittodrie given the success he has enjoyed there.
Billy Davies. A weak press link, nothing from Rangers in the past
week or two has suggested they are interested in Davies as manager.
Ian Cathro. A pipe dream, even if he is interested in future
management in Scotland,
but Rangers fans would be overjoyed with him under a DoF.
Mark Wotte. Has resurfaced in the past 24 hours linked with a Director
of Football role at Ibrox.
Dick Advocaat. Rumoured to have turned down the same role already,
and has in fact completely retired from football management.
Alex McLeish. Press reports linked Rangers with an unexpected move
for the recently-departed Genk
manager and former Rangers boss. This one seems more tabloid talk than anything
else.
Alex Rae. Part of the McLeish speculation.
These are just some of the names
spinning around, and the sheer upheaval taking place at Ibrox is conducive to
such feverish speculation.