Rangers’ 10 best managers of all time (ranked)

Rangers have had 19 permanent managers during their history, with Philippe Clement the current boss in the Ibrox dugout.

The Belgian arrived in October 2023 and got the Gers’ Scottish Premiership campaign back on track, making a positive impression upon his Ibrox arrival. However, things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Clement and Rangers in the 2024/25 season, which has had an impact on his Rangers win percentage record.

Football FanCast has taken a look at the club’s top 10 permanent managers based on their win percentages, with a minimum of ten games in charge.

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Data correct as of 1st January 2024.

10

Scot Symon – 64.7%

July 1954 – October 1967

Scot Symon actually finished his playing career at Rangers in 1947, and after spells in charge of East Fife and Preston North End, returned to Ibrox in 1954.

He ended up staying for 13 years and enjoyed plenty of success, winning six league titles, five Scottish Cups and four Scottish League Cups. Symon was also the man to take the club into Europe for the first time, reaching two Cup Winners’ Cup finals. In total, Symon won 460 games out of 711.

9

Davie White – 64.71%

November 1967 – November 1969

Next on the list is Davie White, who actually arrived at Ibrox as Symon’s assistant before he was sacked. White then took over from Symon but was only in charge of the Scottish giants for two years.

He didn’t win any major honours during his time in charge, however, he ended up with a slightly better record than his predecessor, finishing with a record of 77 victories in 119 fixtures.

8

Steven Gerrard – 64.8%

July 2018 – November 2021

Rangers took a gamble in 2018 by appointing former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard as their new boss. It was Gerrard’s first senior role in the dugout, and he ended Rangers’ 10-year wait for a Scottish title in 2020/21, going the whole league campaign without suffering defeat and finishing on more than 100 points.

However, that proved to be the peak for Gerrard, who decided after more than three years in charge that it was time to leave Ibrox, joining Aston Villa and departing with 125 wins from 193 games.

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7

Philippe Clement – 64.9%

October 2023 – present

Philippe Clement had a great start to his tenure as Rangers boss, and had ranked at number one on this list for much of the last campaign.

However, as the Gers’ treble bid faltered, so did the Belgian’s win percentage. Indeed, after winning 18 of his first 20 league games, Rangers won just one of the following five. They then dropped points twice after the split before losing in the FA Cup final.

All this, plus an indifferent opening half to the 2024/25 campaign, means he has slipped behind several of his predecessors, with uncertainty now hanging over his future.

However, a much-needed Old Firm success at Ibrox to begin 2025 has at least seen Clement surge into 7th place.

6

Alex McLeish – 66%

December 2001 – June 2006

Alex McLeish enjoyed plenty of immediate success after he joined from Hibernian in 2001, winning both domestic cups in his first season. The next campaign saw him complete a historic treble, and the Scot would go on to win another Scottish Premiership and Scottish League Cup before his exit.

He was also the Rangers manager who took the club through the Champions League group stages for the first time, and at the end of the 2005/06 season, McLeish stood down after 155 victories from 235 games.

5

Mark Warburton – 67.1%

July 2015 – February 2017

Mark Warburton made the move to Rangers in 2015 from Brentford and was tasked with taking the club back into the Scottish Premiership. He managed to do just that by winning the Championship title, while also guiding the club to a Scottish Challenge Cup triumph and the final of the Scottish Cup.

However, Rangers’ long-awaited return to the top flight didn’t exactly go to plan under Warburton, who left in 2017 after 55 wins from 82 games before returning to England shortly after with Nottingham Forest.

4

Dick Advocaat – 67.2%

July 1998 – December 2001

Next on the list with a slightly better record than Warburton is Dick Advocaat. After gaining plenty of experience in the Netherlands, including time as national manager, Advocaat replaced Walter Smith at Ibrox and was actually the first foreigner to take charge of the club.

Things couldn’t have started better for Advocaat, who won a domestic treble and took Rangers into the last 16 of the UEFA Cup in his debut year. His second season also resulted in more silverware, but things started to unravel after the millennium, with Advocaat eventually resigning in late 2001 with 131 victories from 195 fixtures.

3

Bill Struth – 68.4%

May 1920 – June 1954

Ibrox legend Bill Struth had 30 years with Rangers in a number of roles, which began as assistant manager way back in 1914. Six years later, Struth then took over as manager and won 14 titles in 19 years before the Second World War. He ended his time with a whopping 1,078 wins from 1,576 games.

The Scot won 73 trophies in total during his career, making him the most decorated British manager of all time, and Struth was also a Rangers director and vice-chairman before his passing in 1956.

2

Michael Beale – 72.1%

November 2022 – October 2023

Plenty of Rangers fans were never convinced by Michael Beale, but statistically, he is one of the best Ibrox bosses of all time, albeit over a short period. The Englishman arrived from QPR to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst and made an immediate impact, winning his first four games in charge.

Unfortunately, the 2022/23 season ended with no trophies, and the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign drew criticism from supporters. After less than a year in charge and a slow start to the Scottish Premiership season, Beale was sacked despite winning 31 of his 43 games in charge.

1

Ally McCoist – 72.5%

July 2011 – December 2014

Now known for his brilliant punditry and co-commentary, former Rangers striker Ally McCoist was also a great manager at Ibrox, after initially learning his trade as assistant to Walter Smith.

McCoist was appointed as boss in the summer of 2011 and spent more than three years in charge, overseeing things during the club’s administration which resulted in relegation to the Third Division.

The Scot remained with Rangers during a tricky period and led the club to back-to-back promotions to the Championship before leaving in 2014 after 121 wins from 167 games.

So there is the caveat of managing the club at a lower level, but you can only beat what’s in front of you – and McCoist has done so better than anyone else at the helm.

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