Worse than Beale: The 5 worst Rangers managers of all time

Glasgow Rangers are now looking for their fourth permanent manager since November 2021 following the sacking of Philippe Clement.

His dismissal was imminent, especially after a dreadful Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park in the Scottish Cup just a few weeks ago.

The 2-0 loss to St Mirren was the final straw for Patrick Stewart and the rest of the board, and his sacking was announced later that weekend.

The last manager to start and finish a full Premiership season was Steven Gerrard during the 2020/21 campaign, proving how badly run the club has become of late.

What next for the Ibrox side? The appointment of the new permanent manager must be the right one, or the Light Blues will fall further and further behind Celtic.

Since 1872, there have been plenty of excellent managers at Ibrox who have won league titles and domestic cups galore, while Willie Waddell even claimed the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972.

However, some managers haven’t done quite as well. As such, we have taken a look at the five worst managers in the history of the club.

5

David White

November 1967 – November 1969

David White became just the fourth permanent manager in the club’s history when he took over from Scot Symon in November 1967.

Symon had won 15 major honours, including six league titles, during his 13 years in charge of the Gers, but the writing was on the wall following a shock Scottish Cup defeat to Berwick Rangers in January 1967.

White took over that November and spent just over two years in charge at Ibrox. He was the first Rangers boss to fail to win a major trophy, despite losing just 22 of his 114 matches at the club.

Celtic’s dominance plus pressure from above meant White received his marching orders in November 1969.

4

Paul Le Guen

July 2006 – January 2007

Having won three straight Ligue 1 titles with Lyon, Paul Le Guen was announced as the new Rangers manager in March 2006, taking charge ahead of the 2006/07 season.

It was a massive coup, but the Frenchman flattered to deceive in Scotland. In his first 10 league games, Rangers won just four times, slipping behind Celtic in the race for the title.

Europe was a different matter, as the club secured qualification for the knockout phase of the UEFA Cup, and it was clear Le Guen’s style favoured that of the continent rather than the rough and tumble of domestic football.

He left by mutual consent in January 2007 after a major backlash from the fanbase following Barry Ferguson being stripped of the captaincy.

3

Michael Beale

December 2022 – September 2023

Michael Beale’s win percentage of 72.1% in charge of Rangers is the second-highest in the club’s history, behind only Ally McCoist.

In Beale’s case, this shouldn’t count for much, as the latter half of his spell in charge was dismal. He opened up his tenure by winning 14 of his first 15 league games, drawing only with Celtic, but things then took a downward turn.

A 2-1 defeat to Celtic in the League Cup final was a blow, and the Gers went on to lose two and draw one of their last eight games.

Poor signings in the transfer window that summer led to a dismal start in 2023/24, as the Light Blues lost three times in the league before the end of September while failing to make the Champions League group stages.

Beale was sacked after just ten months in charge, despite his healthy win percentage.

2

Philippe Clement

October 2023 – February 2025

Where to start with Clement? Despite there being quite a few names mentioned as potential successors to Beale, it was the former Club Brugge coach who was appointed as the new boss in October 2023.

Like many new appointments, the club enjoyed a new manager bounce. Not only did they secure a place in the knockout stages of the Europa League, but Clement led the Gers to their first League Cup since 2011.

Despite fighting back in the Premiership title race, Celtic ended up winning their third league crown in a row, while Rangers also lost the Scottish Cup final.

Hopes were high ahead of the current campaign, but the opening-day draw with Hearts set the tone for the next few months.

Upon his sacking, the Light Blues had won just 17 of their 27 Premiership games, losing five while slipping 13 points behind their rivals.

The football was excruciating to watch, with teams no longer fearing a trip to Ibrox, as evidenced by Queen’s Park in their Scottish Cup victory over the Gers a few weeks ago.

1

Pedro Caixinha

March 2017 – October 2017

There is perhaps no surprise to see who we have ranked as the worst manager in the club’s history.

Pedro Caixinha was a strange appointment. Before Rangers, he took charge of clubs such as Leiria, Nacional, Santos Laguna and Al-Gharafa – hardly an inspiring managerial career.

His side suffered a 5-1 defeat to Celtic at Ibrox, which was the club’s heaviest Old Firm loss at home, and worse was to follow.

Caixinha failed to bolster his squad, signing the likes of Carlos Pena, Eduardo Herrera, Dalcio and Bruno Alves, with only Ryan Jack and Alfredo Morelos leaving a lasting impression in Glasgow.

The 2-1 aggregate defeat to Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg in the Europa League’s first qualifying stage goes down as the worst result in the club’s history.

5 wins from the opening 10 league games of the season saw Caixinha sacked after just six months in charge, losing to Celtic and Hibs in the process.

Across 26 games at the helm, the Portuguese manager recorded an average of just 1.81 points per game, while his side conceded 30 goals in that spell.

It was a terrible appointment in the first place, but his stats at the club, combined with horrendous transfer business and poor football on the pitch means Caixinha is the worst manager to take the reins at Ibrox.