Rangers board taking next manager 'gamble' with Muscat or Clement as former Ibrox chief names dream checklist

Gordon Smith insists Rangers are about to make a high stakes gamble regardless of who they risk it all when appointing a new man in the managerial hot-seat.

The former Ibrox chief executive knows well the behind the scenes workings of recruiting for the top job and he believes none of the names mentioned in the runners and riders list represent a safe bet. As the Rangers board continue to assess candidates with Kevin Muscat and Philippe Clement the leading candidates, Smith is adamant a crystal ball doesn’t come with that brief.

He said: “You never know if the ideal candidate is going to come in and be a success, regardless of how successful they have been elsewhere. It’s always a gamble, no matter how strong the credentials of that appointment is. I personally don’t have a preference about who the new manager should be.

"The thing about Kevin Muscat is that he has a connection with the club having been a player at Ibrox and that’s a strong positive. He knows the club and knows exactly what is involved with being a Rangers player and the huge demands which come with that. He also has knowledge of Scottish football so that’s another big box ticked but I have always had the belief that every single managerial appointment is a risk.

“Clement is an interesting candidate, he’s been able to go abroad and take another style of football into his style of management. From my point of view, if I was making the decision over who the new Rangers manager should be, I would be thinking more about someone who knows the British game. I think that is what is required just now at Rangers and will be a key aspect of their thinking.

"Having said that, Ange Postecoglou arrived at Celtic from managing in Australia and Japan and proved himself