Articles by Kurtis Leyland

Technology

Rangers duo battle for Ibrox return chance as one club hero set to join Danny Rohl's inner sanctum

After a Europa League defeat to Brann in Norway, Rangers kickstarted the Danny Rohl era with a much-needed home win against Kilmarnock at Ibrox. It remarkably was the club’s first home league victory of the campaign. Something which predecessor Russell Martin didn’t manage once in the league throughout his ill-fated tenure at Govan. The club are up to fifth in the table as a result of their triumph, but know they have a long way to go if they are going to have any hopes of sneaking back into the title race. Danny Rohl’s arrival signals a fresh start for both the Rangers players, who are fighting to impress the new manager, and the coaching team. It’s believed the former Sheffield Wednesday boss wants to bring in at least one senior coach with expertise and knowledge of the Glasgow club, and according to Record Sport, the two main contenders are Steven Davis and Neil McCann at this stage. Davis played for Rangers between 2008 and 2012 after joining on loan from Fulham. He was a part of the three-title winning squads and five cup-winning teams while also reaching a UEFA Cup final in his first stint. He returned in 2019 and played until retirement in 2022 - winning one further league title and a cup - making him one of the last remaining players from the previous title triumph.He’s considered an option, having taken interim charge of the club for two matches after Michael Beale’s exit. Similarly, Neil McCann, a legendary winger for the football club, is also under consideration. He admitted recently he loved his time as assistant under Barry Ferguson towards the end of last season, and was heavily linked with the post when Kevin Muscat was considered favourite to be next manager. Former Ibrox captain Lee Wallace, who is now at Hearts, has also been recommended to Rohl by his former Sheffield Wednesday player Josh Windass. Rohl is thought to be open to a number of different options at this point and has not yet ruled anything out. He is currently taking a few days to look at his options, consider all the candidates, where they fit into his backroom team and if they are available. Danny Rohl feels it’s important to have someone with a background and knowledge of Rangers football club in his coaching team as he learns the ropes of Scottish football. He said in a previous press conference: “I will try to bring a former Rangers player with a good background here as well because for me it’s important to take this advantage from a guy who knows Rangers, who knows the league, why should I not use this? This would be a perfect set up for me. “I have three or four candidates in mind. I collect the information, I think it’s also important to have the right person to your coaching team but I think at the end we will make a good decision.” Rohl has so far appointed Sascha Lense and Matthias Kaltenbach. Lense will be men's first-team performance manager, while Kaltenbach, 10 years his junior, is assistant coach. Both held the same position during their time at Sheffield Wednesday before Rohl’s decision to quit the Hillsborough outfit. They were both present for the first training session last Wednesday and are expected to play an important role in the team’s mission to climb the Premiership table. Read More: Rangers hero slams Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers for ‘disrespectful’ comments after shock Hearts loss

Technology

‘Agreement was close’ - Insider reveals why Steven Gerrard rejected the chance to return to Rangers

Rangers remain on the hunt for a new manager after prime candidate Steven Gerrard rejected the chance to make an emotional return to Ibrox. Gerrard gained legendary status at Govan during his first stint as manager between 2018 and 2021, and is best known for his final full season in charge of the Light Blues when he led them to a league title for the first time in a decade whilst also finishing the campaign unbeaten - becoming just the fourth manager in the history of Scottish football to achieve the feat, and the first at Ibrox since 1899 back when it was just an 18-game season. He’s not quite hit the heights since leaving Rangers at either Aston Villa or Al-Ettifaq but was identified by the board as a top candidate for the job after a six-month hiatus from management. The bookmakers almost instantly made him the favourite for the post once Russell Martin was dismissed, and a large section of the Rangers fanbase seemed prepared to welcome their former gaffer with open arms. Reports even suggested that Gary McAllister and Jermaine Defoe were both ready to return as part of his coaching team, when suddenly in a shock turn of events, Gerrard turned down the offer to return to Rangers. But why did the former Liverpool skipper turn down the managers job at Rangers, and whose the frontrunner for the post at this moment in time? Here’s the latest. According to talkSPORT, Steven Gerrard snubbed the opportunity to return to Rangers as he didn’t feel the timing was right. The outlet’s reporter Ben Jacob said: “It is a bit of a surprise because Gerrard flew into London for talks and he was approached over the summer as well. In both instances, he thought long and hard and agreement was quite close. “Then from Gerrard's perspective, the timing wasn't right. Some will look at that and say, if the timing wasn't right over the summer and if the timing wasn't right now, then why fly in and hold the talks? But that's part and parcel. Sometimes with these kinds of jobs, you have to get face-to-face and understand the sporting project. “It's also understood that Gerrard had some reservations working under the current Rangers sporting structure, which is led at the moment by Kevin Thelwell. And also the fact that you have to come into this Rangers job with high pressure to turn things around midseason. It's not always easy. “So, Rangers are back to square one. I think it's caught some within Rangers' senior hierarchy by surprise that Gerrard kind of slept on it after talks towards the end of last week and then decided that it wasn't right for him. Rangers were all in on Gerrard. So now they're back again to the drawing board.” Rangers are currently experiencing one of their worst ever starts to a league campaign, and the gap between themselves and title hopefuls Celtic and Hearts seems to be increasing with each passing week.They’ve had a full international break to try and find the right man after parting ways with Russell Martin but are still yet to decide on a successor. Danny Rohl, formerly of Sheffield Wednesday, who led the Owls to a great escape and a top half finish within less than two years under a difficult ownership situation, is admired by some sections of the Ibrox board but others are thought to have reservations on his experience and track record of winning silverware. Kevin Muscat, who has thrived in Australia, Japan and most recently China as a manager, is also rated highly by the board in a decision which could see the Light Blues go down a similar route to Celtic when they first brought in Ange Postecoglou. Other names mentioned include Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Derek McInnes and Barry Ferguson while some bookmakers haven’t completely ruled out the prospect of Gerrard’s return despite recent developments. Read More: Leading Rangers manager candidate backed by former boss as Celtic ace could link up with ex Chelsea gaffer