Today, Rangers confirmed that Graeme Murty will be the manager until the end of the season. Despite a lengthy process of trying to find the next man, and the failed approach for Derek McInnes, the club have decided to stick with Murty right now.
Fan reaction is largely negative at the moment. A lot of this comes from a place of frustration, given the length of time taken. Many feel that Murty isn’t the best man for the job, and that’s an argument that can be backed up. However, it’s also fair to say that the job of a caretaker is different to that of a permanent manager. As such, whilst we know a good amount about Murty, we haven’t seen him in this role yet as such. Whilst it’s likely that performances will reflect what’s been shown already, there’s still a chance the change in mentality will make a difference.
The other main concern of the fans is what this tells us about the finances of the club. Murty was always the cheap option as such. Confirming him until the end of the season makes many think we can’t afford anything better. I’m not sure that’s an argument that holds up. I’d be more inclined to believe that the board have no real idea of what to do with the role right now, so they’ve made this choice to give themselves time to learn. They highlighted the positive results Murty has had recently, and want to try and shift focus on to the team. It’s not a strategy likely to work, especially if results don’t go well at any time.
We as Rangers fans will back Graeme Murty as much as we can. Any negativity around his appointment is nothing to do with him, but more to do with the ability of our board to plan and execute accordingly. There’s nothing to suggest any sort of long term approach is in place. Despite good work in bringing in a Director of Football and making sure our recruitment team has more resources, the focus of fans will rightly be the first team. This whole process has damaged the credibility of the board, and it would be very difficult to imagine some of them ever being able to turn this around.
From a personal point of view, there’s a sense of resignation. After McInnes declined to take the job, there was a feeling Murty would get it until the end of the season at least. We’re now in a strange position where fans who don’t think he’s the right man will be hoping he wins every game but doesn’t get the job long term. I think all we can do as a support is back the team and hope that things work out. The biggest failing of this whole process has been the inability to get the fans excited in any way about our next manager or the future of the club.
Also announced was the permanent signing of Declan John, on a 3 and a half year contract. John made a promising start in the team, but has looked like a player still trying to find consistency for the most part. In many ways, he’s a low-risk signing who could become a good player in time.
Any thoughts on the managerial announcement today? Send us a tweet and we’ll be happy to discuss!
Four Lads Had A Dream 