Giovanni van Bronckhorst has officially been sacked by Rangers, with the search for a new manager underway before their return to action in just over three weeks.
After a poor string of results in recent weeks, Rangers sit nine points behind leaders Celtic in the Scottish Premiership, with the Light Blues winning just two of their last five league outings - the last game a 1-1 draw against St. Mirren. The Gers also became the worst side in Champions League history in the last few weeks, losing six from six in the group stages and ending with a goal difference of -20.
Ultimately, these results saw Van Brockhorst's one-year reign in Scotland come to an end, and a shortlist of names are already being linked with the Gers. Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is one of the names in the frame after his departure from Aston Villa, whilst QPR's Michael Beale, ex-Burnley manager Sean Dyche and former Rangers player and current Yokohoma F.Marinos manager Kevin Muscat are other names linked with the vacant role at Ibrox.
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So, out of Gerrard, Beale, Dyche and Muscat, who could perform the best at Rangers? We simulated the remainder of the season with all four managers in charge to compare who could be the best fit at the Ibrox.
Gerrard, Beale, Dyche and Muscat as new Rangers boss
Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard is one of the names tipped to make a return to Scotland following his sacking at Aston Villa last month. The Englishman won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers in the past - ending Celtic's ten-in-a-row bid, but he wasn't able to do so in the simulation as the Light Blues finished behind Ange Postecoglou's side.
With Gerrard at the wheel, Rangers failed to improve, drawing 11 and losing five over the course of the season in the league.
Ultimately, their poor form saw Celtic open up a humongous 27-point gap between the two sides - triple the size of the gap currently.
Rangers faced Celtic four times with Gerrard, three in the league and one in the Scottish Cup final. Celtic won all four games, with a 3-0 win in the cup final topping off an impressive season for Rangers' rivals.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 23 put together an overall best Rangers XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Gerrard's best XI looked like:
Full Rangers best XI: (4-3-3): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barasic; Arfield, Kamara, Lundstram; Sakala, Colak, Kent.
Michael Beale
Gerrard's second-hand man at Rangers, Beale left the ex-Light Blues manager's side at Aston Villa to become head coach at QPR in the Championship. He's done a tidy job so far with the London-based club, but on his return to Rangers in the simulation, he could only close the gap by three points as the Gers finished second.
A big improvement on Gerrard's results, Beale earned 13 more points whilst finishing six points behind Celtic who won the league with 96 points. But, Beale did win a trophy for the Gers, with his side beating the Hoops on penalties in the Scottish Cup Final after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.
In the four meetings between the two sides, Beale got the better of Ange Postecoglou's side twice. As well as their cup final victory, Rangers also beat Celtic 2-0 in the league.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 23 put together an overall best Rangers XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Beale's best XI looked like:
Full Rangers best XI: (4-3-2-1): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Yilmaz; Jack, Kamara, Arfield; Tillman, Hagi; Colak.
Sean Dyche
Dyche has been out of management since his sacking from Burnley at the back end of last season, but the Englishman has been tipped as a favourite for the vacant job at Rangers. The 51-year-old made an instant impact with the Gers in the simulation, and he overturned the nine-point deficit to help the Light Blues win the Scottish Premiership.
Also down to some poor results from Celtic, Rangers overtook Celtic into first place, finishing four points ahead of the Hoops to win the league with 92 points. After Dyche's arrival in the league, the Gers dropped points just four times in the top flight.
Dyche's side also met Celtic in the Scottish Cup final, but a Jota brace handed the Hoops a 2-0 win. In the three meetings between the two sides in the league, Rangers won one and drew two.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 23 put together an overall best Rangers XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Dyche's best XI looked like:
Full Rangers best XI: (4-4-2): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Yilmaz; Matondo, Kamara, Jack, Kent; Colak, Morelos.
Kevin Muscat
Ex-Rangers player Muscat is tipped to be in the running for the Rangers job, having won J-League and Australian titles in his managerial career. The Australian boss managed to get his squad ticking in his time at the club, but they fell just short of winning the Scottish Premiership.
Rangers closed the gap between them and Celtic, but a loss and draw in their final five games of the season saw the Light Blues drop back below Celtic in the league, finishing one point behind their rivals. Defensively, Rangers were solid under Muscat, holding the best defensive record in the league.
Like every other manager in the simulation, Muscat reached the Scottish Cup Final, but a 3-2 loss to Celtic meant the 49-year-old was unable to win a trophy. Muscat lost every game against Celtic, with Postecoglou getting the better of his fellow countryman.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 23 put together an overall best Rangers XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Muscat's best XI looked like:
Full Rangers best XI: (4-2-3-1): McGregor; Tavernier, Goldson, Davies, Barasic; Kamara, Lundstram; Sakala, Hagi, Matondo; Colak.
Overall, FM23 predicts that Sean Dyche could be the best manager for the job, tallying 92 points and beating Celtic to the league title. Beale was the only manager to win the Scottish Cup, whilst Gerrard and Muscat were unable to win a trophy, with the former Rangers manager having the worst season out of the four.
Who do you think will be the best fit at Rangers? Let us know in the comments below!
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