Rangers have had 19 permanent managers throughout their history, with Philippe Clement being the current boss in the Ibrox dugout.
The Belgian only returned in October but has gotten the Gers’ current Scottish Premiership season back on track and has already secured their first title with a win in the Scottish League Cup at Hampden Park. The Light Blues returned there in May for an old-timer tough clash with Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.
Things are looking up again in Glasgow and Football FanCast has taken a look at the club’s top ten permanent managers based on their win percentage, with at least ten games responsible.
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Data correct, as of April 29, 2024.
|
Best Rangers managers by win percentage (min. 10 games) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Manager |
games |
Win% |
|
Philip Clemens |
38 |
74.4% |
|
Ally McCoist |
167 |
72.5% |
|
Michael Beale |
43 |
72.1% |
|
Bill Struth |
1,576 |
68.4% |
|
Thick lawyer |
195 |
67.2% |
|
Mark Warburton |
82 |
67.1% |
|
Alex McLeish |
235 |
66% |
|
Steven Gerrard |
193 |
64.8% |
|
Davie White |
119 |
64.71% |
|
Scotsman Symon |
711 |
64.7% |
10
Scottish Symon – 64.7%
July 1954 – October 1967
The Scot Symon ended his playing career with Rangers in 1947 and returned to Ibrox in 1954 after spells as coach at East Fife and Preston North End.
He ended up staying for 13 years and had great success, winning six league titles, five Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cups. Symon was also the man who led the club to Europe for the first time and reached two Cup Winners’ Cup finals. In total, Symon won 460 of 711 games.
9
Davie White – 64.71%
November 1967 – November 1969
Next on the list is Davie White, who actually joined Ibrox as Symon’s assistant before being sacked. White then took over from Symon, but was only in charge of the Scottish giants for two years.
He didn’t win any major awards during his time in charge, but ended up with a slightly better record than his predecessor, namely 77 wins in 119 games.
8th
Steven Gerrard – 64.8%
July 2018 – November 2021
Rangers took a risk in 2018 and appointed former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard as their new boss. It was Gerrard’s first senior appearance in the dugout and he ended Rangers’ ten-year wait for a Scottish title in the 2020/21 season by going the entire league season without defeat and finishing with more than 100 points.
However, this proved to be the high point for Gerrard, who after more than three years as manager decided it was time to leave Ibrox, join Aston Villa and depart with 125 wins from 193 games.
7
Alex McLeish – 66%
December 2001 – June 2006
Alex McLeish enjoyed great success immediately after joining from Hibernian in 2001, winning both domestic cups in his first season. The next season he achieved a historic treble and the Scot won the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup again before retiring.
He was also the Rangers manager who led the club through the group stage of the Champions League for the first time, and at the end of the 2005–06 season McLeish resigned after 155 wins in 235 games.
6
Mark Warburton – 67.1%
July 2015 – February 2017
Mark Warburton moved to Rangers from Brentford in 2015 and was tasked with leading the club back to the Scottish Premier League. He did just that, winning the league title while also leading the club to Scottish Challenge Cup triumph and the Scottish Cup final.
However, Rangers’ long-awaited return to the top flight did not go entirely to plan under Warburton, who left the team in 2017 after 55 wins from 82 games before returning to England with Nottingham Forest shortly afterwards.
5
Dick Advocaat – 67.2%
July 1998 – December 2001
Next on the list with a slightly better record than Warburton is Dick Advocaat. After gaining a lot of experience in the Netherlands, including as national coach, Advocaat replaced Walter Smith at Ibrox and was in fact the first foreigner to take charge of the club.
It couldn’t have started better for Advocaat, who won a domestic treble in his debut year and led Rangers to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup. His second season also brought more success, but things began to deteriorate after the turn of the millennium and Advocaat eventually retired at the end of 2001 with 131 wins from 195 games.
4
Bill Struth – 68.4%
May 1920 – June 1954
Ibrox legend Bill Struth spent 30 years at Rangers in various roles, starting as assistant manager in 1914. Struth then took over as manager six years later and won 14 titles in 19 years before the Second World War. He finished his time with a whopping 1,078 wins from 1,576 games.
The Scot won a total of 73 trophies during his career, making him the most decorated British manager of all time. Struth was also a director and vice-chairman of Rangers before his death in 1956.
3
Michael Beale – 72.1%
November 2022 – October 2023
Many Rangers fans were never convinced by Michael Beale, but statistically he was actually one of the best Ibrox bosses of all time, if only for a short time. The Englishman arrived from QPR to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst and made an immediate impact, winning his first four games in charge.
Unfortunately, the 2022/23 season ended without any trophies and the start of the 2023/24 season was met with criticism from fans. After less than a year in charge and a slow start to the Scottish Premiership season, Beale was sacked despite winning 31 of his 43 games as manager.
2
Ally McCoist – 72.5%
July 2011 – December 2014
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist, now known for his brilliant expertise and co-commentary, was also a great manager at Ibrox, having initially learned his craft as assistant to Walter Smith.
McCoist was appointed head coach in the summer of 2011 and was responsible for managing the club for more than three years, which led to relegation to the third division.
The Scot stayed with Rangers during a difficult period, leading the club to back-to-back promotions to the Championship before leaving in 2014 after 121 wins in 167 games.
1
Philippe Clément – 74.4%
October 2023 – today
The most successful Rangers manager in history, having managed more than ten games, is none other than Philippe Clement, who made a brilliant start to life in Scotland.
The former Genk, Club Brugge and AS Monaco coach got Rangers’ 2023/24 season back on track, despite his Rangers side suffering a setback in recent weeks and the Scottish Premiership no longer fully in their hands.
Rangers came from behind in their final game to extend the Scottish Premiership title race. Next weekend’s Old Firm clash looks set to be the championship decider.
A successful end to the season could also be the key to remaining the club’s best manager heading into the summer and his first full season at the helm at Ibrox.