A FORMER Rangers hero has weighed in his thoughts on the future of the Ibrox dugout.
The ex-Scotland international has also put forward his picks for who could replace Steve Clarke if he were to leave his role as manager of the
SPL winning right-back Alan Hutton has touted former Gers boss Steven Gerrard as the ‘safer option’ looking at the permanent future of Barry Ferguson‘s interim position at Ibrox.
Speaking to Betway Insider, he said: “It’s probably the one time I’ve found it hard to pin somebody down. I know there’s been talk of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard going back, these types of big names who understand what it’s like to play at a club when there’s a lot of pressure.
“But with the takeover happening, it’s difficult to put your finger on somebody because you have no clue what they’re going to want from a manager when they come in.
“Are they going to want someone who is from overseas? Have they already got their eye on somebody? Are they going to want someone Scottish? It’s very difficult to tell at this moment.
“What I would say is, Barry Ferguson is there at this moment in time, and he’s done well since he’s taken over the job, so he’s in charge of that position at this moment. And all he can do is his very best and see what happens come the end of it.
“Gerrard would possibly be the safer choice because he’s been there before, he knows what the club’s all about, he understands it, he’s won the league there as a manager. So, he knows what it takes week in, week out to hit those levels.
“I feel, at the time, when he was manager, the squad was better, it was stronger than what it is in this moment in time. So, with the new owners coming in, they’re going to have to spend money to get the quality back up.”
But the 40-year-old certainly isn’t ruling former teammate Ferguson out of the running, he continued: “When you look at Barry Ferguson right now, he’s turned things around quickly.
“He’s put that pride back in the players, that winning mentality that you need to have as a Rangers player. I think for him to be in the conversation, he’ll have to have a really strong end to the season.
“He’s done that, obviously, against Fenerbahce and Celtic, and there’s other big games coming up in the Europa League.
Steve Clarke on Scotland future
“So, he needs to go as far as he can in that and have a strong end to the league campaign, and then I’d imagine he’ll have a sit down with the new owners and see where it takes him.”
The Liverpool legend has been linked with a return previously, having left his most recent job in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.
But a manager of course isn’t the only factor of a team’s success, and Hutton thinks improve across the board is needed to catch up to rivals Celtic.
He said: “The standard has to rise. I’m not trying to get at the players, but they need to be able to have that focus, that mentality to go out and churn out performances week in, week out, to have the mentality you need to go and compete with them.
“Celtic have been doing this for a long period of time. They’ve been selling players at the right time, bringing in a lot of money to the club and then reinvesting.
“It works really well, it’s something that’s going to take Rangers a number of years to get to, but ultimately, the standard has to go up.
“The squad standard has to go up, and it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s going to take time, so the new owners, whoever the new manager is going to be, everybody behind the scenes is going to have to get together.
“Recruitment is going to be key, they have to get that right. If they don’t, then they’ll be struggling, but if they do, then they can compete.”
With captain James Tavernier in his tenth year at Ibrox, aged 33, it’s natural that market value and form might decline. The defender has already been the target of fan fury on several occassions.
On the future of Tav at Rangers, Hutton added: “The time when Rangers could cash in and get millions back has gone.
“When you are 33, 34, your value drops because there’s no sell-on value there due to your age.
“He has been an incredible servant; his goals, assists, and everything he brings as a captain to the team week in, week out has been to a high standard.
“Because of that, I think Rangers will want to keep him. Not on a long-term deal thanks to the age situation, but for him to be there, someone who knows what it’s all about, the new management team coming in can lean on him.
“You have to look to the future. I know Dujon Sterling is there, but you might need another right-back to come in, and Tavernier can help him.
“That transition can be good to have an older, wiser head in the changing room. That would be a good option.”
Hutton spent six long years with the Glasgow side and towards the end of that time is when he began playing for the Scotland National Team, going on to achieve 50
He played under the likes of Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan, and now he’s had his say on who might be next in line after Steve Clarke.
He said: “He’s been there since 2019, and I must say, the job that he’s done has been incredible.
“From where we’ve been for years, he’s actually grown a squad together, he’s put it together, he’s found a formation that works.
“All the players are playing at a high level, they’ve done back-to-back Euros, and they’ve come on leaps and bounds, so a lot of plaudits have to go to him for that.
“He’s saying he’s going to run his contract down, and he’s got the World Cup qualifiers coming up, and I think that will be a big tell about what he does.
“If that goes really well, then of course he’s going to want to see out the World Cup and go and be a part of it, and he might step away from it after that thinking, ‘I’ve done my bit.’ If the qualifiers don’t go well, I would imagine 100% he would step away.
“You look at people in Scottish football, like Derek McInnes, I think that’s something that he would fancy doing. I think that he would feel that he could take the squad on to the next level and be a part of something special.
“That’s just my opinion; there’ll be other people out there, but I feel that someone like that could go in and do something.
“David Moyes, he’s another guy who would’ve looked at that job for a number of years now and would’ve felt that he could go in and do something. He’s probably happy where he is at this moment in time, but you don’t know, you just don’t know what’s around the corner.
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“And I feel like Steve Clarke’s been amazing, he’s been there for a long period of time, and maybe he just thinks that it’s coming to the end. It’ll be interesting over the next 18 months or so.”
Moyes has Premier League side Everton with just one loss in their last 10 matches, while McInnes’ Kilmarnock have eight wins and eight draws from 30 Premiership games this season.
