'Obvious' - Big-name pundit names 2x league winner who 'Jumps Out' to be new Rangers manager

Derek McInnes jumps out as the obvious choice for Rangers to replace Philippe Clement with at manager, says Kris Boyd.

The former Ibrox striker told Scottish Sun Sport’s Go Ballistic on 31 October that the Light Blues have to have a replacement plan for Clement, and blames the “powers that be” if there isn’t one.

Boyd pointed at the Kilmarnock boss as the pick of the candidates in Scotland, but also suggested that even at this low ebb the club should be a draw across world football.

He said (17m 25s): “Derek McInnes would be the obvious one that jumps out in terms of Scotland, and I think Rangers do need to get back to basics, I really do.

“But I don’t think Derek, he’s not going to come out and say anything. He’s in charge of another Scottish Premiership team and he’s not going to get drawn into it.

“He’s obviously had his connection with Rangers in the past, and as a manager as well, obviously been offered the job before and decided to turn it down for whatever reason.

“He would be the one that would probably jump out at you right away in Scotland. But Rangers, even right now when they’re struggling, are still a huge organisation, with still a worldwide appeal.”

Kris Boyd tips Kilmarnock boss for Rangers

All things being equal McInnes looks a very valid option for the Gers but if he turned the club down previously there is no guarantee he wouldn’t do the same when the job has the appearance of a hospital pass right now.

If Clement goes he will be the third manager in as many seasons to be gone before Christmas, making the role little more than a one-year interim job with extreme pressure attached and now prospects.

The next person in, if a change is made, might benefit in the long-term from some of the cost-cutting and signings for the future done under Clement, but since the Belgian himself is clearly getting so little of said benefits right now that might not happen anyway.

According to The Rangers Review on 31 October the current “noises coming out of Ibrox” in the wake of the 2-1 loss at Aberdeen the night before are that an imminent change is not on the way.

Most clubs would at least have a name or two they planned to go after in this situation, but when so many of the key decision-makers who would have decided on that are no longer in place it could easily not be the case at Ibrox.

The board might decide to simply weather the storm, concluding that this was always going to be a bad season and they toughed it out in the wake of the 3-0 Old Firm derby defeat on 1 September in similar circumstances.

But it is getting harder and harder to justify that when the performances on the pitch and Clement’s comments afterwards inspire so little confidence.

Perhaps if Rangers could be trusted to win every game where they are favourites it would be something, but they barely scraped past St Mirren on 27 October, and were downed 1-0 by McInnes’ Killie side a week earlier.

The ex-Gers midfielder has two league titles in the the second tier (St Johnstone in 2009 and Kilmarnock in 2022), and a League Cup win with Aberdeen in 2014, but would have to produce week-in week-out at Ibrox.

And whether he wants or needs that right now when he looks fairly set at Rugby Park is debatable, although he seems more realistic than a return for Ally McCoist.

In other Rangers news, Light Blues board members may have turned down investment opportunities because they don’t want to give up power.

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