Analysis Corner: Graeme Murty is the man for the job at Ibrox
By Dougie Wright (@dougie_wright)
When news broke on the 22nd December that Graeme Murty would be appointed Rangers’ first team manager until the end of the season, much of the Ibrox support was underwhelmed.
Thrown from the development squad to the first team after Pedro Caixinha left in October, the Yorkshireman had had a fairly erratic spell in charge of the Glasgow club.
Of course, there were allowances for the fact that he had taken over a squad lacking in both confidence and tactical discipline, but three defeats to Hamilton, Dundee and St Johnstone over his two month spell had prevented the Yorkshireman from fully winning over the Rangers support.
The defeat to Kilmarnock the following day meant his interim record at that point stood at six wins and four defeats from ten games. Even worse than Pedro Caixinha.
Yet since that day at Rugby Park, a corner appears to have been turned for the Ibrox side. Eight games have yielded one defeat, six wins and a draw at Parkhead.
There’s little doubt that Murty has not only steadied the Rangers ship. He’s done this through effective man management, versatile tactics and, ultimately, good results.
Man management
The pace at which Jamie Murphy, Sean Goss and Greg Docherty have adapted to life at Ibrox is largely down to the interim boss. All three were hugely influential on Saturday, as they have been during their short time at the club so far. Even more impressive is the fact that Goss and Murphy had only played the equivalent of 4 competitive games between them this season.
Not only has Murty got them tactically up to speed at the club, but he’s got them match fit in record time too.
Furthermore, key players such as James Tavernier, Ross McCrorie and Josh Windass all committing to long term deals under Murty’s stewardship shows that the squad have faith in the former Scotland internationalist’s methods.
Tactics
Murty has largely employed a 4-2-3-1 during his second caretaker spell. Here’s how they lined up against Hearts this weekend:
This is a pretty attacking side. Aside from the centre backs, every other player was regularly in the Hearts’ final third.
While Tavernier looks to overlap Candeias on the right, John’s diagonal dribbles inside the pitch from the left back position are becoming a more and more prominent feature of Rangers’ play.
Meanwhile in the centre, Docherty and Goss are building a strong combination. Docherty’s pass and move is complemented by Goss’ more expansive passing range, while Goss’ ability to anticipate and intercept opposition passes is complemented by Docherty’s ability to aggressively pressurise his opposite number.
Up front, Windass and Morelos are finding all sorts of space to run into and are using layoffs to link up with his other really well.
Ultimately, this is the first Rangers side in a while without an obvious weak link. While Allen deserves credit for bringing in cost effective signings behind the scenes, Murty is the man who has pulled it altogether. Indeed, since taking the reins in October, Rangers have scored more than any other team in the top flight.
Results
Effective tactics and man management are pretty much prerequisites if you want to get results. As evidenced above, Murty has ticked both of these boxes for the club.
Murty’s second caretaker stint gives him a win percentage of 67%. Eighteen games isn’t loads to go on, but it’s pretty much exactly the same win ratio as Walter Smith had during his time at the club.
At the start of the season, the Rangers board claimed that they expected a title challenge this year, given the summer investment. Since Caixinha’s departure, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic have taken 38 points from 18 games; Murty’s Rangers have taken 37 from 18. Who knows how Murty would get on with a full season under his belt?
Does he deserve the job full time?
Absolutely.
Graeme Murty has done the job that the Rangers board thought Pedro Caixinha would do. Tactically versatile, Murty has engaged the players and now has the club playing an effective, attacking brand of football.
Rangers might be able to bring in a coach with a better CV, who may have achieved more elsewhere. However, if the board are really interested in the success and stability of the club, there should be only one man under consideration right now: Graeme Murty.
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