Graeme Souness knows exactly what it takes to make Rangers tick.
It’s why the Ibrox board recruited the help of the legendary former Rangers player/manager when the club was hunting for a new boss back in 2023.
Having just sacked Michael Beale, Rangers were determined to stop the managerial merry go-round at Ibrox and Graeme Souness was tasked with helping the club find a suitable name.
Whilst Souness gave his backing to Frank Lampard, Rangers plunged for Philippe Clement and whilst they tried to halt the managerial fairground ride at Ibrox, all they really did was slow it down.
Now 16 months on from hiring the Belgian, Rangers find themselves back at square one as Barry Ferguson takes interim charge whilst a US takeover is completed at Ibrox.
But as the hunt for the next Rangers manager goes on, Graeme Souness is beginning to look validated.
Graeme Souness gets Frank Lampard validation
Graeme Souness was impressed with Philippe Clement during Rangers’ managerial negotiations.
But Frank Lampard stood out to Souey because of the England legend’s links to British football and his understanding of the nuances of the Scottish game owing to his Northern Irish wife.
“The only advantage for me Frank has over Philippe is that he has some experience of the West of Scotland,” Souness explained.
“His wife is from Northern Ireland so she will certainly know what it’s like.
“In terms of his CV, he has a very impressive CV as well Philippe. He’s done well in Belgium and then he went off to the south of France with Monaco.
“He had a little bit of a playing career at Coventry but nothing, no job in football management, prepares you for the West of Scotland. It’s another type of challenge.”
Souness has been clear Lampard was his first choice throughout but Rangers fans bit back against the ex-Derby, Chelsea and Everton gaffer, leading to the board changing tact.
Over a year on from those Rangers links, Lampard was finally afforded another top-level opportunity as he took the reins at Coventry City in November.
And Lamps hasn’t looked back since, toppling records with an explosive start to life at the Ricoh Arena.
Frank Lampard’s Coventry have now won nine out ten games under their new manager, a club record and something that has never been done before in Sky Blues history.
