Davie Provan has urged Rangers to appoint caretaker boss Graeme Murty as manager until the end of the season in what would be a ‘no-brainer’ move.
Murty has now been at the helm for nine matches, winning six and losing three, and Provan believes that the club have nothing to lose by giving him the rest of the season.
In his column for the Scottish Sun, Provan said: “Dave King has done little right since taking over at Ibrox — but his next move is a no-brainer.
King should give Graeme Murty until at least the end of the season in the Rangers dugout. It would spare him the possibility of another managerial blunder. With the Ibrox board’s credibility already shot, it makes sense. It would take the heat off them for a while.
“Worst-case scenario? Murty comes up short and the hunt for a new boss starts again next summer. In the bigger picture, what difference is six months going to make? Given the turmoil at this club for years now, they shouldn’t be jumping in to a panic appointment. Certainly not with this board’s track record.”
Provan did go on to question Murty’s credentials, but still insisted that he is the right man for the job this season.
“Murty looks every inch the rookie. In front of the television cameras, he’s twitchy and uncomfortable. Neither is he the type to have players sitting bolt upright when he walks into the dressing room. You can’t see him giving players the hairdryer treatment. But you can’t argue with the response he’s getting from the dressing room. And despite yesterday’s loss to St Johnstone, from most of what we’ve seen, Murty can make a good pitch for the job given enough time,” he said.
OPINION
Provan is spot on. This decision is an absolute no-brainer. Murty has shown that he has enough in him to get results, as evidenced by back-to-back wins over Aberdeen. With more time, he should be able to stamp out the poor results, such as the most recent loss to St. Johnstone. What do the club have to gain by appointing an outsider now? Their title chances were already shot under Caixinha and its not like Murty is doing a bad job. To give him until the summer would do two things. It would give them an opportunity to see how well Murty does given an extended run, while also buying them more time to find a replacement if Murty does fail. What is there to lose at this point?