Rangers looking to make progress in hunt for new management team
Rangers could be entering the final week of their search for a new management team.
Last updated 27th Feb 2017
The Ibrox club hope to appoint a director of football in the coming days with Southampton's head of scouting and recruitment, Ross Wilson, believed to be their preferred candidate.
Rangers have also been interviewing contenders to replace former manager Mark Warburton and an appointment could quickly follow once the director of football role is filled.
Consecutive defeats to Dundee and Inverness have ensured the Rangers board stepped up their recruitment drive, although they have been keen not to rush the managerial decision following the breakdown of relations between Warburton and directors.
Former Ibrox skipper Barry Ferguson became the bookmakers' favourite for the manager's job at the weekend after quitting Clyde but it is understood he is not a contender.
Caretaker boss Graeme Murty will remain in charge for Wednesday's Ladbrokes Premiership game against St Johnstone, and is likely to still be in place for Saturday's William Hill Scottish Cup quarter-final against Hamilton.
That means the new manager could be facing a debut against Celtic at Parkhead on March 12.
Rangers could be 12 points adrift of second place by the time they host St Johnstone as Aberdeen play Hamilton at the SuperSeal Stadium 24 hours earlier.
But forward Martyn Waghorn dismissed suggestions that the runners-up spot is already in the bag for the Dons.
"Not at all," Waghorn said. "We have got to play them again twice. It's obviously not ideal and we have a big challenge ahead and we know what we have got to do.
"It's going to be difficult but it's only us that can turn it around. We have got a lot of belief and a lot of good players in the squad. It's going to be difficult but never say never."
The Light Blues' 2-1 defeat at Inverness on Friday night means they have only won once in seven league games.
Waghorn said: "It's part of football, how you respond and how you react to adversity. This is a difficult time but it's only us that can turn it around, work on the training pitch, work off it together as a team. Doing that for the club is all we can do."
Rangers failed to build on a good start in the Highlands and conceded the first goal for the fifth match running. And Waghorn knows that run has to stop.
"It's giving ourselves a tough challenge going anywhere," the former Leicester and Wigan player said.
"They were fighting for their lives and they were going to make it difficult. It's something we need to address.
"If we got the first goal, it's a different story, but we made it difficult for ourselves."
Waghorn netted only his fourth league goal of the season, from the spot, at Inverness and they have scored 34 as a club, less than half of leaders Celtic's total.
"We are playing for Rangers, you need to be clinical, you need to score goals and you need to win games, and we are not doing that just now," Waghorn said.