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I'm hearing rumours that SG is open to the move, but only if he can take his backroom staff. It's unclear if John Beaton, Bobby Madden, Steven McLean, Andrew Dallas will agree, though... ?

He knows he won’t go straight to Anfield from Ibrox without having won a European trophy. He knows that’s not going to happen. He doesn’t have to do that at Villa, just get them playing well and threatening the top four in the league and good cup runs. No trophy needed because in the eyes of EPL clubs good performance in the EPL is all that’s needed. If you take Arsenal, City, Liverpool and Chelsea as the top four, only Villa, Newcastle, ‘Spurs and Everton and possibly Hammers, have the resources for a consistent challenge. Conte got the ‘Spurs job. Newcastle are too big a risk this season. West Ham don’t really have it. He’s never going to Everton. Villa’s his best chance. He may fail hopelessly but there’s a greater prospect of hopeless failure at Ibrox where hopeless failure is defined as finishing second behind celtic.

The timing could be better but I wish Stevie G well with what he goes onto do. He's impressed me greatly during his time in Glasgow and the timing won't affect that. He was always going to leave sometime sooner than later. I just hope we display the same vision we showed when appointing Gerrard.

One thing's for sure, Aston Villa won't be winning a cup any time soon.

Same could be said for whoever replaces him, bringing in his own players. We have a ready made replacement for Tav, Goldson has made a lot of mistakes this season and Kent goes off the boil fairly regularly. Why do Rangers fans care so much about Gerrard's ultimate ambition? I couldn't give a fuck if he manages Liverpool or not.

This is Ross Wilson’s biggest test yet.

Stick with it. Pay no attention to the ramblings of the old fogeys

If he does go, he is going for a reason, most likely lack of transfer funds as he alluded to. Any manager coming in would be under the same constraints, which would probably rule out a few names on this list. Pretty likely that the whole backroom team would also go, so not just a first team manager will be required but several roles would need filled. I voted GVB, got reasonable experience and a Rangers connection.

Im new to the forum, just registered due to the speculation about Gerrard. My vote would go to GVB he's played for us so has understanding of Scottish football and also had a good learning curve (4 years as assistant at Feyenoord then 4 years as manager). He also understands the dutch style of passing football which is similar to how Gerrard has us playing, its better that someone comes in and doesnt try to change it too much. Also I'm surprised so many people think Beale, I honestly don't think he has the leadership character to be a manager. he does have the intelligence but you need more than that to be the top man.

I would rule out Scottish coaches altogether. I just do not rate them. They don't have a recognised style of play, and I doubt their tactical ability. I'm also wary of those that have had success in early jobs with big clubs, like Tomasson, Gio etc., because we've seen people like Frank DeBoer win titles with Ajax, but then do nothing because it's clear that it's more to do with the club than the coaching, if you know what I mean? I think they need to have a better record than that.

It's can be a frustrating and frequently bumpy road supporting Rangers but the more I think about current events the more I think this might be the best thing for both Rangers and Gerrard. The way the team of last season has been unable to lift itself since the summer break was starting to tell a story that perhaps none of us wanted to listen to. I've been starting to doubt whether we are able to win the league this season the way things have gone so obviously stale. With Warburton and Caixinha still clear in the memory it would be strange not to be concerned about what a replacement manager will bring but I'm hoping the current board will better recognise what is needed. Time to look forward.

It looks and sounds like a done deal. Therefore he can GTF. He can do likewise, even if it falls through. No point, and no profit, in the support, or the Club, mooning around like a lovesick teenager who has just been dumped. Time to move on, and appoint a new coaching team - one which can get a better tune out of the players than SG & Co has managed this season. The dugs may bark, but the caravan rolls on. Who said that?

Also a huge gamble staying. We have no money, he was clearly raging about that pre-season. If we lose league this season, we'd likely be calling for his head.

He came to get his first job and build his reputation. He's done that. He's done a wonderful job. But it's clear he wants the Liverpool job eventually, and he'll not be able to go from us to that job. He needs another step. I hate to break it to you but we can't compete with (a) Villa, who spent £250M over the last season or two, or (b) the PL, the richest league in the world.

There's an element of delusion amongst many of our support. If I was Gerrard, I wouldn't think twice about this. More money in a significantly better and far more competitive league - you'd have to be mad (or a Rangers man) not to. Scottish football is a total joke.

So all his talk of ''being happy'' at Rangers and keep building for the future was bollocks? I just can't see why he would want the Aston Villa job just now tbh? he would best served staying @ Ibrox at least until his contract is up and building his reputation, especial in Europe!. It's a huge risk taking on the Aston Villa job on IMO, if they get relegated and on a bad wee run then theses billionaire types are quick to replace managers!!. I'm not too bothered if he chooses to go, but the timing is a real blow to me as Rangers fan and season ticket holder.

And yet you want Ally McCoist and Steven Davis in charge...

Why would he go to Newcastle? It's a relegation fight, with a small chance of them staying up. It's also got a lot of expectation now with the money. The job is not attractive - at least not the first manager; the next manager will be an attractive job, when a wee bit of money has been spent to improve the squad. There's a reason why two managers turned it down. Aston Villa are a big club, with a good squad and a good budget. I don't think it'll take much to get them firing again. And, to be honest, he needs a PL job if he wants to get to the Liverpool hot seat in a few years, IMO.

Surely it's because the Aston Villa job is available? You can't leave for a job that isn't available. It's the same with those that are saying he should wait until the end of the season - why would he wait when the job is available now? You can't pick and choose when a job opens up.

Now that the spell has been broken, if you could magically remove the risk inherent in every new appointment then I'd just as soon crack on and address the inevitable sooner than later. That's a big "if" of course but the truth is we've only gone backwards since winning the league. If Gerrard does stay at Rangers I think he'll now find patience is a bit thinner than it was.

I can't imagine he would go without Beale, McAllister and Culshaw. Managers seem to go everywhere with their teams these days.

If we were to give it someone on a temporary basis then I would rather have Kevin Thomson, give him till end of season to see how it goes. Either that or Neil McCann. Fuck, ANYONE but McInnes !!

I feel the same. I'd rather not be changing managers in mid season but I've had a feeling for a while of the team being stuck in a rut and unable to move forward. It's always a risky time (Pedro) but this could be a chance to make progress again.

There’s certainly a potential upside but the risk is big so I’m nervous. With the right appointment we could get a real bounce and a freshness to our tactics, but that is a best case scenario.

I'm actually quite excited. I've been quite unimpressed and bored by our performances this season.

And I've got a similar view in respect of Rino.

Not DeBoer, please! He's been an absolute failure everywhere he's been (apart from Ajax). I also have a sneaky suspicion that Gio might be similar, but he's not been tested yet. For me, that rules them both out, actually.

I'm hoping we can get someone in before the international break is over. No more of these 'caretaker' fiascos.

Double Dutch. The Glasgow Air Traffic Controllers strike had delayed the Rangers party's plans to arrive in Lisbon on the Monday evening. A hastily organised overnight stay in London was arranged and the Rangers party were separated into a a number of smaller groupings as they negotiated the journey from Heathrow to Lisbon. The last grouping arrived late Tuesday afternoon, just three hours before the UEFA deadline. It was hardly decent preparation for an important Euro' match. The added Double Dutch ingredient was about to be added the very second Referee, Laurens Van Ravens blew his whistle. Van Ravens was no stranger to Scottish football, he had officiated when Rangers defeated Real Zaragoza 2-0 at Ibrox in the ECWC quarter-final first leg in 1967. Further, he had been centre stage at Hampden in 1968 when Scotland drew 1-1 with England. In Lisbon on that November evening he was clearly a stranger to the rules. The aforementioned Zaragoza game is a case in point, Rangers won two nil, then lost the second leg by the same scoreline in Spain. Extra time did not separate the teams, thus the Ref' tossed a coin and fortune was on our side. UEFA had changed the rules for all 1971-72 Euro competition, the coin toss was scrapped in favour away goals counting double and if extra time did not reach a conclusion, a penalty shoot out was deemed decisive. As the players entered the pitch at Estadio de Alvalade the Lisbon Chronicle described the attendance as, "Sixty thousand filled the ground both physically and spiritually. The stands were crammed, spirits brimming over with faith. Hope, almost certainly was in the air, in everyone's souls". The teams taking the field were : Sporting Lisbon - Damas, Gomes, Hilario, Tome, Talo, Laranjiero, Vagner, Lourenco, Yazalde, Peres and, Dinis. Rangers - McCloy, Jardine, Mathieson, Greig, McKinnon, Jackson, Henderson, Conn, Stein, Johnston and, MacDonald. Rangers two Subs were Tommy McLean and Dave Smith. Sporting's initial approach in front of their fanatical support was described by the Herald as, "hammer and tongs". In the 25th minute Yazalde put Sporting ahead, a long range free kick was spilled by McCloy and the Portuguese forward knocked the ball into the net. The Girvan Lighthouse blamed the lightness of the continental ball, "it constantly moved in the air". Two minutes later, Colin Stein was grateful for such lightness, he won the ball then chased his own knock down. He survived another two challenges before squeezing in the equaliser. Lisbon restored their lead five minutes before half time, Tome notching. At the break, the Portuguese side were through on the away goals ruling. It took two second period minutes for Stein to equalise for the second time. Just after the hour mark, Ronnie McKinnon went in for a challenge and did not get back up. Doddie was quoted, "he tackled then sat up with his hand in the air". I urged him to get back into the fray but he just sat there, "he wasn't rolling around and when I went back over he told me he had broken his leg". Ronnie had sustained a double fracture that effectively ended his career, Dave Smith came on as Ronnie was stretchered off. There were six minutes remaining when Sporting retook the lead through Gomes. The game ended 3-2 and 5-5 on aggregate, the home side had the advantage of 30 minutes extra time in front of their own support. The reports of the match I have read all mention the dozen Sporting drummers at the front of the main stand, apparently they increased their beat during the added thirty minutes. They stopped when Willie Henderson's shot found the net but again picked up the rhythm when Sporting won and scored a penalty through Peres. The game finished 4-3 and the tie was 6-6. Rangers had notched three away goals to Sporting's two, thus Rangers should have progressed into the quarter-finals. The Dutch Ref' had other ideas. Stein and McCloy remonstrated with Van Ravens but he was adamant penalties were needed to decide the tie. He consulted his Linesmen and came back to the centre circle where he proceeded to toss a coin. John Greig called and the Ref decided the toss was to decide which end the penalty shoot out should take place. Confusion reigned, Rangers had won on away goals, had won the toss but, missed their first four penalties. John Greig did not get to take the fifth. Sandy Jardine was last off the pitch and he remembered the Sporting Keeper, Damas being chaired around the track. There are two stories as to what occurred next, the first is Daily Express Journo, John Fairgreave approached Willie Waddell post matc with UEFA rule book in hand. The Rangers manager then sought out the UEFA Delegate, Ramirez. He was at the mouth of the tunnel attempting to stop the penalties but the first had already been taken. He then bumped into Waddell and assured him Rangers were through. He then went to the Directors' room and gathered together both clubs' representatives to inform them of Rangers progression. The Portuguese fumed at the Spaniard. Telegrams were sent to Berne, Sporting's President, Guilherme Medeiros booked two flights to Berne, he was intent on pressing the Portuguese claim in person. Medeiros was quoted in the next day's Chronicle, "The Referee's decision is final, he is sovereign upon the field of play. We will go to Berne to defend the prestige of football and sporting ethics and to avoid serious moral and material damage to our club". UEFA responded with a direct telephone call, "don't bother sending anybody, the Referee misinterpreted the rules and, Rangers will be attributed the victory". The Chronicle reported other telegrams had been sent and finished a week later, blaming the fact that the first telegram had not been translated into any of UEFA's three languages (ie French, German or, English) as the reason why Sporting remained out. Concurrently, the Portuguese press were most generous in their appreciation of various Rangers players. Colin Stein was described as, "sensational". The Skipper was, "a defender of extraordinary class" and, Sandy Jardine was lionised by Abola, "three games(including the international) exuding power in the tackle and magnificence in his surges into midfield". Poor Peter McCloy was the only player not worthy of a Rangers jersey, but the Gas Meter would prove his worth in the next games. Rather amazingly, I cannot find a quote attributed to Referee, Laurens Van Ravens.

Gerrard came with his team, and will likely leave with the majority of it. He personally doesn't need the EPL level money, but I fancy that the opportunity for him to facilitate his team getting EPL level money, and the security that might bring them, could be a big draw for Gerrard.

Assuming Gerrard is on his way to Brum. I was still serving when Souness decided to go back to Liverpool. I remember feeling less than impressed with the appointment of Walter. I thought we should have taken more time. Looking back, I was wrong and David Murray was absolutely correct in his immediate gifting the job to Smith. I had a lad in the Battalion who like Walter, was born and bred in Carmyle. He suggested Walter was the very dab because he was a slow burn, "big Wattie can fight". Similarly to when Souness departed, the Rangers manager's post is far more attractive now than when Gerrard took the job Further, I believe Kevin Thomson can fight?

So Big Sam, even until the end of the season, is not an option?

I assume, perhaps wrongly, that Beale will go with SG so having said elsewhere this is no time to gamble, I’ve gambled and voted Craig’s man, Thomson.

Steven Naismith with Lee McCulloch as his assistant and Andy Halliday to deflect a barrage of completely justified complaints.

FWIW, I think Ross Wilson will have this well in hand and it wouldn't surprise me to see someone not on that list from somewhere left-field. In terms of familiarity then the likes of Gio or Lampard may help us maintain that high profile focal point but Beale may be the best option in terms of actual continuity for the squad and our style of play so I'd be leaning towards him - especially if we could persuade McAllister to stay on to assist him. Tomasson is interesting - his mind games worked well for Malmo against us but he's no fool either in terms of tactics or management. In a Scottish sense, Davidson has obviously done well at St Johnstone but it's surely much too early for Kevin Thomson and McInnes had his chance previously despite speaking well on the TV lately. My own choice would be Beale but I suspect he'll go with Gerrard if indeed that happens....

The DoF should be the one in charge of replacements. I expect him to have a shortlist already, with several candidates monitored regularly.

Is it too bold to appoint Kevin Thomson? He could persuade his pal Ryan Porteous to join in the next window, I am sure.

Well it seems I am in the minority so I will exit this thread, I am seriously concerned by the timing of his departure!!. Let's hope I am worried about nothing, a new management team will come in and we will surge toward the title with immediate effect!.

It was a great opportunity for him. His results have got him a move to the EPL and got us 55. It's all part of the football merry-go-round.

Whoever's in the hotseat we should still win the league such is Scottish football but I only have one wish that any new manager if we are to have one plays good open attacking football played with style .

Had we been managing our retail operation "in house", then all of the revenue and all of the costs would be coming through our accounts. Its hard to say how much that would amount to. I too heard some of the higher numbers bandied around by the Beahon brothers on podcasts, but we also heard from the club that the structure of the deal was unique compared to anything we have had in the past, with an ability to generate bonus payments depending on sales. But I think you could easily be talking that the total revenue via Castore could be 4-5 times that £4.3m. I think when it comes to Castore, the number appears a little underwhelming right now, but it may take a year or two for the full benefits to flush through and for the numbers to normalise. Only then can we properly judge whether its been a success.

I really hope you are correct, but this one looks like its going in one direction only.

Jesus is dead, man, Jesus is dead.

Oi!!! Ya young skunk. Michael Beale would of course be ideal in terms of transitioning from Gerrard but I wouldn't turn my nose up at Callum Davidson, who must now be on the radar of a lot of clubs.

The one name to get a good call was Carlo Ancelloti

Davie is saying that it's not looking good for Gerrard staying as the journalists are credible.

That's not how it works.