Glasgow Rangers are in a difficult position after an incredibly disappointing start to the 2025/26 campaign in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe.
The Light Blues failed to qualify for the Champions League, losing 9-1 on aggregate in their play-off clash, and have lost their first two games in the league phase of the Europa League.
As you can see in the graphic above, Rangers have only won five of their 17 matches in all competitions this season, conceding 24 goals in the process.
That led the club to dismiss their head coach heading into the October international break, as they sit eighth in the Premiership with one win in seven league matches.
The club’s incredibly poor start to the season on paper makes it hard to argue that the sacking of Russell Martin was unjustified, as he did not pick up enough results to buy patience from supporters or the board.
It is now down to the Ibrox chiefs, though, to find a new manager or head coach who can step in and do a better job than the former Scotland international did in Glasgow.
The latest on the Rangers manager search at Ibrox
Former professional scout Mick Brown has told Football Insider that Steven Gerrard is “in the box seat” to be the next Rangers manager during the international break.
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Brown told Football Insider: “Right now, it probably does seem like it’s Gerrard’s job to lose, really. He’s been the outstanding candidate.
“We’ll see how things develop over the next few days, but Gerrard is in the box seat right now. If those talks are successful, it could mean something pretty quickly happening with Gerrard returning to Ibrox.”
Meanwhile, the Daily Record claims that the English head coach is due to hold talks with the club in London this week to discuss a possible return to Ibrox.
That report adds, though, that Gerrard’s camp has made it clear that they are exploratory talks, and that nothing is advanced or close to being agreed at this moment in time.
Matches
38
12
Wins
32
8
Draws
6
3
Defeats
0
1
Points
102
27
Points per game
2.68
2.25
League position
1st (Champions)
1st
As you can see in the table above, the manager’s last 50 league games in charge of the club during his first spell were almost immaculate, with 40 wins and only one loss.
His return to Ibrox would surely be met with excitement, given that he won the title in the 2020/21 campaign, and it could get the stadium rocking again if they are able to agree a deal with the former Aston Villa boss.
Gerrard, though, is not walking into a favourable environment, as evidenced by one win in seven league games, and he could have some big decisions to make in his first few weeks at the club, and then in the January transfer window.
Rangers made a host of changes to their squad during the summer transfer window, as shown in the graphic below, but not many of their new signings have hit the ground running.
In fact, two signings who may become two of the first victims of the change in manager at Ibrox could be Joe Rothwell and Max Aarons, who may find themselves disposable by January.
Why Rangers must ditch this Ibrox duo
Former Rangers centre-forward Kris Boyd heaped criticism on both Rothwell and Aarons, as well as the recruitment in general, in August because they both came from English clubs.
Boyd said: “He (Martin) has brought a few players in, but I think he needs to be very, very careful. He keeps going back to the English market as well, inflated, overrated for me, especially when you go down the leagues.
“There is a long list of Rangers players who have arrived from the Championship or below who have failed here. And I am afraid to say, at this moment in time, Max Aarons and Joe Rothwell seem to be falling more towards the Kieran Dowell, Ben Davies, Todd Cantwell, Tom Lawrence category than what they do with the likes of Connor Goldson and James Tavernier.”
As Boyd outlined in his comments, Rangers have had plenty of failures arrive at Ibrox from the English market, including Tom Lawrence, who signed for Perth Glory this week after moving on from Glasgow on a free transfer in the summer.
Appearances
23
18
Goals
2
4
Assists
3
2
Dribbles completed per game
0.6
0.5
Ground duel success rate
48%
46%
Aerial duel success rate
57%
15%
As you can see in the table above, the Wales international did not provide consistent quality at the top end of the pitch as an attacking midfielder in his last two seasons at Ibrox.
Aarons and Rothwell, as Boyd explained, are on course to follow in Lawrence’s footsteps because they have both endured underwhelming starts to their careers at Ibrox.
The Bournemouth loanee, who was sent off against Club Brugge in the Champions League, did score the winning goal against Livingston last month in the Premiership.
However, he has also been an unused substitute in four of the last six games and the appointment of Gerrard is unlikely to change his fortunes, given that James Tavernier, the captain, played 168 times for the manager in his first spell at Ibrox, per Transfermarkt.
Rothwell, meanwhile, could suffer the same fate as Aarons, despite signing on a permanent deal from Bournemouth in the summer, because he has failed to impress thus far.
Gerrard liked to have mobility in his midfield with the likes of Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo in the 2020/21 title-winning season, and Rothwell does not fit into that midfield mould, as he has won just 1.4 ground duels per game, per Sofascore, which shows that he rarely gets across the pitch to compete in duels.
This means that the central midfielder could find himself further down the pecking order and considering his future at the club when the January transfer window opens, whilst Aarons may have to consider whether or not the loan is worth completing if he is behind Tavernier.
Therefore, Aarons and Rothwell could be the first Ibrox victims of a change in manager if Gerrard walks through the door, because they have started poorly at Rangers and both may not be frontline options in the English tactician’s 4-3-3 set-up, due to his preferences in his first spell.