“If I hadn’t seen such riches, I could live with being poor” is an adage that likely rings true for many Rangers fans right now. No team in Scottish history has won more leagues than the Glasweigian outfit, but they look a million miles away from ever competing for the title again.
The sacking of Russell Martin was another reminder of the desperate situation Rangers find themselves in. Rivals Celtic (albeit second in the table right now) have turned what was a duopoly in Scotland into a monopoly, winning 13 of the last 14 league titles on offer.
Steven Gerrard was the last non-Celtic manager to lift the title, and while the former England international is currently out of work, Rangers ought to be looking elsewhere for their next appointment. That’s because in the wake of Martin’s ill-fated tenure, Rangers instead have to focus on rebuilding a club reeling from years of mismanagement and poor decision-making.
Step forward Sean Dyche. By no means the glamour pick – something he’d probably admit to himself – but right now, the former Burnley and Everton chief is certainly the sensible one. The difference between Martin and Dyche? The former is a tactician, the latter a manager. A proper manager, with proper methods.
And that’s what Rangers require at this moment. A man who is going to come in and get the simple things right before trying to worry about anything else. While it might not have looked like it in recent weeks, but the Ibrox outfit still have the second best squad in Scotland.
The players at Rangers’ disposal are much better than one win in seven, not to mention their pathetic showings in Europe, either. It’s a squad that doesn’t need a massive tactical overhaul – for 90 per cent of the matches in Scotland, Dyche would be able to pick his starting XI blindfolded, and Rangers should still win.
The point being, Rangers need a motivator, and someone who knows how to deliver results when backs are against the wall. From taking Burnley to Europe, to keeping a poor Everton side in the Premier League when relegation looked likely, Dyche has a track record of steadying ships and delivering results.
It isn’t the prettiest of appointments, but then again, Rangers aren’t in need of a makeover, they need open-heart surgery.