Should Graeme Murty remain manager beyond the summer?
There is no denying there is a greater sense of belief around Ibrox these days, even though this calendar year has seen bitter losses to Hibs, Celtic and Kilmarnock.
There has been a more notable growth in morale, with a fine run of results overall and a great number of stand out players, such as Jamie Murphy, Jason Cummings, Sean Goss and the outstanding Greg Docherty.
However, there is a growing suggestion about the future of Graeme Murty, and with his current contract expiring in June, just like many of the players, fans seem unsure if they actually wish the ex-Academy youth coach to remain in the post.
The murmurs of discontent were certainly in evidence when he first got the job for the rest of the campaign, but faded impressively after he and assistant coach Jimmy Nicholl racked up a fine run of both performances and results, and gave supporters a great feeling of self belief, with the notion that Rangers were becoming more like Rangers.
However, following troubling displays against both Celtic and Kilmarnock, the growing optimism was doused more than a tad, and a return to the drawing board seemed possible.
The question which comes to hand about Graeme Murty is this:
How much of Rangers’ 2018 results are down to his management, and how much are down to the success of January’s signings?
If we look at December’s results, it was a mixed bag at best – wins over Aberdeen and Motherwell were tempered hugely by losses to Kilmarnock, St Johnstone, and a criminal display at Easter Road where Rangers committed evening-light robbery by managing the win.
But then Docherty, Goss, Cummings and Murphy arrived (not to mention Nicholl) and suddenly Rangers went on a fine run, Hibs loss aside.
This cannot be coincidence, nor can the arrival of Nicholl. We have already suggested the former Raith man has had a steadying influence on the team – but there is no better influence on a team than better players coming in.
But there are limits to this – and those limits were reached when Killie and Celtic both beat the side quite comfortably.
Should Murty remain the man in charge? Is he the man to take us forward?
Probably not, frankly. He doesn’t speak terribly well, lacks invention, lacks experience, and if you compare his CV with that of Clarke, Rodgers and even McInnes, there’s just no competition.
Is this what Rangers fans are happy to settle on?