There’s no live next Rangers manager odds or betting market at Ibrox this September — and given the club just went through one of the most chaotic managerial sagas in its recent history barely a year ago, nobody at the bookies is in any rush to reopen that particular can of worms. Derek McInnes is still very much the man in the Ibrox dugout. But scratch beneath the surface of results and radio phone-ins over the last fortnight, and it’s obvious the pressure gauge is already climbing on a manager who’s barely had four months in the job.
A quick recap for anyone who switched off Scottish football over the summer: Rangers spent much of last September scrambling for a successor to Russell Martin, who lasted just 17 games before he was shown the door. What followed was genuinely farcical — Steven Gerrard came agonisingly close to a sentimental return before pulling out over “timing,” Danny Rohl held talks and then walked away, and Kevin Muscat, the overwhelming favourite at one stage, opted to stay put in China rather than take the leap back to Glasgow. Rohl eventually did take the job, only to leave for RB Salzburg this past June. That’s when Rangers moved fast and poached McInnes from Hearts, where he’d just missed out on a first Premiership title in decades on the final day of the season.
Fast forward to now, and McInnes finds himself under a very different kind of scrutiny. Rangers crashed out of both European qualifying competitions in August, beaten by Jagiellonia Białystok and then Jablonec — defeats that left the manager admitting he was “mortified” and prompted immediate, if premature, chatter about his suitability for the role. No European football to speak of this season is a genuine financial and prestige blow for a club of Rangers’ size, and it’s the kind of thing supporters don’t forget quickly, whatever happens domestically.
To his credit, McInnes has steadied things somewhat since. Back-to-back league wins over Aberdeen and Falkirk were followed by a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Motherwell, giving him three narrow wins on the spin and at least some breathing room heading into what’s being billed as a defining stretch of fixtures. St Mirren, a League Cup semi-final against Celtic, and then an Old Firm league fixture at Celtic Park all arrive in quick succession — and it’s not an exaggeration to say two defeats in those Celtic games could tip the mood among supporters from grumbling to genuinely hostile.
So why isn’t there a betting market yet? Simply put, bookmakers tend to wait for something concrete — a run of bad results, boardroom noise, or reports of unrest behind the scenes — before they start pricing up replacements. Right now, Rangers’ hierarchy under chairman Andrew Cavenagh appear willing to give McInnes room to work, and there’s no suggestion from inside Ibrox that his position is genuinely under threat. He’s less than half a season into a three-year contract, and clubs at this level are generally reluctant to move again so soon after the upheaval of last year.
That said, football moves quickly, and Rangers fans have shown themselves more than willing to turn on a manager fast when European exits sting. If results at Celtic Park and in the cup semi-final go badly, don’t be surprised if a market does open — and if it does, expect familiar names to resurface. Sean Dyche, whose availability and pedigree have made him a recurring name in Scottish managerial conversations, would likely feature prominently again. Kevin Muscat remains a name Rangers fans haven’t fully let go of, despite two previous knockbacks, particularly given his continued success in China. Steven Gerrard’s stock at Ibrox never quite disappears either, even after last year’s near-miss, though there’s little sign he’s actively hunting a return right now. Domestic candidates like Stephen Robinson and Barry Ferguson would likely be mentioned too, as they tend to be whenever an Old Firm vacancy is even hinted at.
For now, though, this is speculation built on recent history rather than anything concrete. McInnes has earned himself some short-term credit with those three consecutive wins, and the next month of fixtures — rather than any bookmaker’s odds regarding the next Rangers manager — will tell us far more about how secure his position really is.