Following the failure to agree terms with former manager Steven Gerrard over a return to Ibrox late last week, Rangers board appear to have finally settled on their new number one target for the vacant head coach position. This comes just over a week after the sacking of Russell Martin, who was dismissed following a disappointing draw away to Falkirk.
The Gerrard talks came and went quickly, with the former Liverpool captain removing himself from contention after two rounds of discussions with the club, citing “the timing” as not being right for a reunion.
In the aftermath, former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Röhl emerged as the frontrunner, while Hearts manager Derek McInnes and former BSC Young Boys coach Raphael Wicky were also rumoured to be in the mix. However, in a move that has encouraged the Ibrox support, former Rangers player and Australian international Kevin Muscat now appears to be the board’s preferred choice.
News broke today via Stevie Clifford and the 4 Lads Had a Dream podcast’s official social media accounts, where Clifford posted: “The next 48 hours are huge, but Muscat is now in a strong position to become the next Rangers manager. This has moved very quickly.
“It looks like Neil McCann will be on his coaching staff and could take temporary charge for Saturday and thereafter, whilst Muscat finishes the season in China.
“This is no project for Muscat - he’s here to win. This is not a done deal, anything can happen, so treat it with caution until it’s formal, but it’s heading that way very quickly.”
While Clifford did emphasise that the deal is not yet complete and could still collapse, as Gerrard’s did, Muscat, who played at Ibrox from 2002 to 2003 and was part of Alex McLeish’s treble-winning side that season, is now the clear favourite among the Rangers hierarchy.
Muscat began his coaching career in 2009 while still a player at Melbourne Victory, serving as assistant to head coach Ernie Merrick. He briefly took interim charge in 2011 before assisting former Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou at Victory, later succeeding him when Postecoglou left for the Australian national team in 2013.
Postecoglou has been a major influence on Muscat’s coaching journey. Having both assisted and succeeded him at Melbourne and later replaced him at Japanese J1 League side Yokohama F. Marinos, the pair share a similar attacking philosophy and a trademark Australian bluntness.
Postecoglou’s success in Scotland is well documented: during his two years at Celtic he won five domestic trophies out of six and delivered an avalanche of goals while pressing high and dominating possession, a style Rangers, particularly under Martin, have struggled to replicate.
On his former mentor, Muscat has previously said: “I'm fortunate to have access to someone of his ability first and foremost, but greater than that is someone who's so giving with his time and with his advice and mentorship.”
That mentorship, however, may not be as forthcoming now that Muscat could find himself going head-to-head with Postecoglou’s old club.
Muscat’s managerial record is impressive. He guided Melbourne Victory to an A-League premiership–championship double in 2015, won the FFA Cup in the same year, and secured another A-League title in 2018 before departing for Belgium with Sint-Truidense. Though his time there was short-lived, he went on to win league titles in Japan with Yokohama and in China with Shanghai Port, where he currently has the Red Eagles top of the table with four games remaining.
This ongoing title race is the main obstacle preventing Muscat from taking charge of Rangers immediately. As Clifford mentioned, Neil McCann is expected to take interim control until Muscat’s season in China concludes on November 22. Under 19's coach Stevie Smith is currently taking training.
That would leave McCann, who was part of Barry Ferguson’s interim team last season following Philippe Clement’s dismissal, in charge for over a month, overseeing eight matches: five Scottish Premiership fixtures, two crucial UEFA Europa League group games against SK Brann and Roma, and a monumental Premier Sports Cup semi-final against Celtic on November 2. These fixtures could prove decisive in determining whether Rangers remain competitive on multiple fronts beyond Christmas or are left clinging only to the Scottish Cup.
Ultimately, the question facing the Ibrox hierarchy is a stark one: do they accept short-term pain to secure the man they believe is right for the long term, or do they act now in an attempt to salvage a season that has rapidly deteriorated since the day it began?