Glasgow Rangers are on the search for a new head coach during a season for the third campaign in succession after they decided to part ways with Michael Beale on Sunday.
The Light Blues kicked off this run of bad luck in the dugout when Steven Gerrard was poached in November 2021.
He was replaced by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who had previously played for the Light Blues, but the Dutchman only lasted until November of the following year.
Despite winning the SFA Cup and leading the club to the final of the Europa League, Rangers sacked the former defender during the break for the 2022 World Cup and appointed Beale as his successor.
Rangers Manager |
Date of departure |
---|---|
Steven Gerrard |
13/11/2021 |
Gio van Bronckhorst |
21/11/2022 |
Michael Beale |
01/10/2023 |
That move has turned out to be an error on Ross Wilson’s part as the sporting director, who has since gone on to join Nottingham Forest, failed to bring in a suitable replacement for the Dutch boss.
Current chief executive James Bisgrove is now tasked with finding a manager who can bring success back to Ibrox and, hopefully, not be sacked by November 2024.
Who could replace Beale at Rangers?
Speaking on the BBC Radio 5 Live Monday Night Club (2 October), New York Times journalist Rory Smith named Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen as one of the managers who is likely to be under ‘consideration’ by the Scottish giants, among a number of options.
This comes after the Norwegian boss was tipped as one of the ‘frontrunners’ to replace Van Bronckhorst during the 2022/23 campaign by The 4th Official.
He was also named as a possible alternative to the Dutch tactician in 2021 after Gerrard’s move to Villa, as Ross Wilson was a fan of his work, but the club ultimately opted for the former Light Blues full-back instead.
It could now be third time lucky for Rangers if they decide to go through with a swoop for the 54-year-old to take on the role this month.
Bisgrove could get Ibrox rocking with a move for Knutsen as he plays an exciting brand of football and would come in with a proven track record of coaching teams to win trophies.
What is Knutsen’s style of play?
Bodo/Glimt captain Ulrik Saltnes once described his manager’s style of play as “kamikaze” as his team is based around an intense, high-energy, press, a far cry from the turgid football of Beale’s Rangers tenure.
Knutsen’s side wants to dominate possession and control the game and do so by winning the ball back quickly after they lose it, which allows them to stop the opposition from countering them whilst providing themselves with more chances to make things happen at the top end of the pitch.
The 54-year-old typically deploys a high-pressing 4-3-3 set-up and this, along with his excellent attacking coaching, has led to them being a free-scoring team in recent seasons.
Journalist Connor McGilligan once claimed that his brand of football would be “fantastic to watch” for supporters, which is backed up by the statistics.
Bodo/Glimt scored a mind-boggling 103 goals in 30 Eliteserien matches throughout the 2020 campaign as they won the title with only one loss to their name and a positive goal difference of plus 71.
Whereas, Rangers have not scored more than 82 Scottish Premiership goals across 38 league games since their return to the top flight at the start of the 2016/17 campaign.
Meanwhile, Celtic scored 103 league goals on their way to the title under Ange Postecoglou during the 2022/23 season and this shows that it is possible for Knutsen to replicate his success with Bodo/Glimt in Scotland, as the Hoops have proven that you can dominate the division as a free-scoring, prolific, side.
How many trophies has Knutsen won?
The Gers managerial target has won two league titles in the Norwegian top-flight with his current club and his side are currently one point clear at the top of the table with seven games left to play in the 2023 campaign.
Knutsen won the Eliteserien in 2020 and 2021 but finished second in 2022 as Molde ran away with the title by 18 points. However, he is now closing in on a third title in four years and has proven himself capable of instilling a winning mentality within his squad.
The former Asane head coach has been able to deploy an exciting style of play based on pressing high and getting the fans onside with aggressive play and a constant stream of goals to dominate and win matches, which has led to excellent success on the pitch and trophies on top.
Therefore, Bisgrove could get Ibrox rocking by appointing a manager whose brand of football could resonate with supporters and get them to buy into the process, due to the style and his proven track record of implementing it.
How many trophies has Beale won as a manager?
The fans in Glasgow did not have many reasons to get behind Beale’s future at the club as he arrived without trophies to back his pedigree and failed to deploy an attractive style.
He has not won a single piece of silverware in his managerial career to date, with QPR or Rangers, and journalist Derek Clark claimed, earlier this season, that there was no sign of a clear way of playing from the English boss’ team.
Reporter Graham Spiers also described Beale’s style of football as “hapless” and the results on the pitch did not make up for the dull football as the Gers lost three of their first seven Premiership matches.
The Light Blues also failed to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League as they were hammered 5-1 by PSV in the second leg of their play-off tie, which shows that Beale struggled domestically and in Europe.
This suggests that it was the right decision by Bisgrove and the club to part ways with the former Aston Villa assistant manager as the performances and results were not going in the right direction.
There was very little for supporters to cling to in order to have faith that Beale would eventually be a success at Rangers and the Light Blues can now get the fans back onside by bringing Knutsen and his ‘Kamikaze’ style to Ibrox.