Following the long awaited, eagerly anticipated announcement of the takeover of Rangers on Friday afternoon, outsiders looking in could be fooled into thinking that the Ibrox supporters would be satisfied and their appetite for change salted.
However, no. That’s not how this Glasgow football goldfish bowl works, one announcement and one huge marker of change is over and now we look onto the next.
The Rangers boardroom change is over and now we look at our new Chairman Andrew Cavenagh, new Vice-Chair Paraag Marathe, CEO Patrick Stewart and Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell to produce the most important appointment of our on-field season. A new Head Coach.
Sources have indicated that an announcement is being arranged by the club for this upcoming Wednesday, July 4 in which the new gaffer will be introduced at Ibrox.
Now, recent reports have concluded that there is a shortlist of potential bosses which has been carefully whittled down over the last few months. Recently it seems that it is down to Davide Ancelotti, son of the legendary Carlo, Russell Martin, ex-Rangers player, but not one of any success, and Francesco Farioli, recently dismissed from Ajax after throwing away the league title in disastrous fashion.
With former Ibrox manager Steven Gerrard reportedly turning down the Head Coach role due to family commitments.
So, who will it be?
Rangers finished the end of last season with former captain Barry Ferguson serving out the campaign as interim manager, and sources have told us Ferguson has been overheard speaking about his disappointment of not getting the job permanently and has claimed that the new manager “doesn’t have any real managerial experience”.
Now, we must express this is only what we have been reported and may not turn out to be accurate but from what we believe to be true, all reports point to Ancelotti taking the Ibrox hot seat and he should be set to be announced in the role next week.
Ancelotti does not have the managerial experience that the other named candidates do have, having started out as a fitness coach under his father at French side Paris Saint-Germain before assistant roles to Carlo at some of Europe’s most elite clubs, Bayern Munich, Napoli and Real Madrid, as well as English Premier League experience with Everton.
But the prodigal son of Don Carlo has never managed a club in his own right, and at 35 he is finally prepared to make that step as his father exits the club managerial stage and heads to Brazil to coach their national side.
Is he ready? There is only one way to find out, but the club must be wary, fans are tired of failure and starved of success, we need to see an improvement this upcoming season, Ancelotti has the coaching pedigree and the perfect mentor, but will he put what he’s learned into practice during his expected upcoming spell in Glasgow?