Regardless of who comes in, be it the bookie favourites of Michael Beale and Sean Dyche, or the fan favourites of the likes of Duncan Ferguson and Kevin Thomson, Rangers’ new manager has a hell of a mess on his hands for sure.

Rangers are currently experiencing one of the worst injury blights we’ve seen in European football in recent memory at the top level (top level, Billy), as a ridiculous dozen players remain unavailable through one knock or another.

And form as a result of this and a multitude of factors has completely collapsed, as Rangers’ board took the decision over the past 24 hours to cave to the stand off with Giovanni van Bronckhorst and put him out of his misery.

His regime derailed horribly since Sevilla, it was, frankly, awful, but in no small part due to the board, those injuries, his players’ lack of hunger and his own errors.

Two of those very much remain the case, and the new manager will have to tolerate half the squad being unavailable until further notice, and a board whose influence has been almost entirely toxic the past two calendar years.

There is a chance of course the injury issue will improve a little the next month, which will give a new manager an ‘unfair’ advantage if we do see improvement – he will have players Gio didn’t have, so comparing may not be entirely fair.

But the board remains, the lack of cash remains, and Ross Wilson will still be making the signings, by the looks of it. He is clearly responsible for player turnover, 100% – any incomings and outgoings are ok’d by the Director of Football and while Gio was ‘called’ the manager, the reality is he was head coach.

He had basically no influence on signings at all, apart from giving his opinion. End call was Ross Wilson’s, he was the one with the chequebook and contract, and he still will be come the new boss.

Many fans want that new boss to be Duncan Ferguson, or him to be assistant to a Sean Dyche or Beale – it barely even matters who it is, given the new manager will still be set back by the same crimps that held Gio back.

Of course, there’s the ‘new manager bounce’ which sees a burst in form when a new manager comes in – players all seeking to impress the new man and a clean slate for all.

But this is just a sticking plaster if it’s not the right man, and if it is the right man this board needs to back him. And he needs to be manager.

Enough of the Director of Football nonsense, give the new manager full reign and control, plus full say on signings.

Otherwise how Gio and Stevie ended up is the same fate that awaits the next man.