SMITH
ALL eyes will be on Graeme Murty when Rangers take on Dundee at Dens Park this afternoon.
The former Scotland internationalist, who led the Light Blues to victory in last week’s Scottish Cup tie against Morton, will again be in charge in his role as interim manager.
However, the man I believe most fans really want to see some leadership from is Dave King.
Without doubt, the Ibrox chairman had his say on Mark Warburton with a critical statement released last weekend.
I believe he would also have had more than a little to do with the decision-making that led to the parting of the ways.
A parting of the ways which, as I predicted in this column, looks set to be dragged out through the law courts.
Of much more interest to the supporters is what happens next, in the long, medium and short term.
In a time of turmoil, they will want clear indications Rangers are moving in the right direction.
By that I mean more than just the statement from board member, Stewart Robertson, that a new manager and director of football are on the way.
That’s all very well, but what will be the level of the successful applicants?
Appointing Frank de Boer, not so long ago manager of Inter Milan, would send a very different message than giving the job to Graeme Murty on a permanent basis.
I give that only as an example because, for me anyway, the latter is not a viable candidate to get the job.
There are far too many big-name bosses, both current and former, who look interested in succeeding Mark Warburton for that to be the case.
I am talking about the likes of Alex McLeish, Frank de Boer and Billy Davies.
And that is before we mention more left-field possibilities like Garry Monk, who is doing very well in the English Championship with Leeds United, and Kevin Muscat.
Murty, though, does have a responsibility to be a safe pair of hands in this time of need.
Steer the club to a decent run of three or four wins, and he will buy Rangers time to make their moves and enhance his own reputation as a coach in the process.
Fail to hold it together and win the matches they should win – such as today’s against a struggling Dundee – and they may have to rush an appointment through to prevent short-term damage.
Finishing in the top three to guarantee a European spot is a minimum requirement this season.
With Celtic having all but won this season’s Premiership title, and Aberdeen and Hearts looking very strong on their day, that can’t be taken for granted.
I believe the key is the outcome of this afternoon’s match at Dundee.
From what we have heard from Murty in recent days, it looks like he intends to put his own stamp on things.
It is hard to judge too much from the game against Morton. But for me Rangers were a bit more direct than they had been under Warburton.
I think we will see more of that at Dens Park, possibly with Joe Garner deployed up front in a 4-4-2 formation.
Where Mark Warburton famously said there is no Plan B – Plan B is just Plan A done better – I’d expect the man keeping the seat warm to be more pragmatic in his approach.
Against a Dundee side who haven’t won a league game in 2017, that should be enough to see them home.
That will leave the field clear for Dave King to relax a little about the immediate situation and start working on future plans that can drive Rangers forward, not just for the remainder of this season but for years to come.