TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole has now urged Rangers to appoint a “great” up-and-coming coach as their permanent manager to replace Philippe Clement at Ibrox.
Philippe Clement relieved of his Rangers duties
Clement was finally sacked as Gers boss after the dismal 2-0 defeat against St Mirren at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon, but in truth, the writing had been on the wall for quite some time, with the Belgian suffering some very poor results this season.
The defeat at the weekend may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but there have been some even more disappointing losses in recent weeks, with the Light Blues also crashing out of the Scottish Cup against Queen’s Park.
After relieving Clement of his duties, the board moved quickly to bring in former captain Barry Ferguson as interim manager until the end of the season, but they continue to run the rule over permanent replacements for the summer.
Speaking on The Dressing Room Podcast (via Metro), Cole has now urged Rangers to appoint a different manager, however, talking up former teammate Ashley Cole.
“Where do they go, Rangers? I’m going to throw a name in there. He’s our guy, Ashley Cole. I’m going to throw him in. I know he’s got a great job working with the England U21s.
“I worked with him doing a bit of media in a foreign country. We had the afternoon off, and we were sitting on the sunbeds, ordered a couple of drinks, and I’m thinking, “This is a good job, Coley, I’m enjoying myself!”
“I’m watching the world go by, 90 degrees, and he just gets his laptop out and he’s showing me throw-ins!
“The dedication… his dedication to football. We love him. But that would be perfect for him.”
“Rangers had such a great spell with Stevie G, another ex-England legend, and I can see Coley going into that job.”
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Cole building up his coaching CV
Although the former Chelsea man is yet to be given a chance as a head coach, he has been building up his coaching CV through spells with Birmingham City, Derby County and Everton, and he has been described as a “great coach” by Frank Lampard.
More recently, the 44-year-old was appointed as a full-time coach for the England national team, having assisted Lee Carsley as the U21 assistant manager, and the former Ireland international believes he has a “very bright future”.
Carsley is also said to have relied on the former left-back to draw up attacking plans, despite him featuring as a defender in his playing career, indicating he is an attack-minded coach.
Rangers have had success appointing former England internationals in the past, with Steven Gerrard leading them to Scottish Premiership glory, but it would of course still be a risk to appoint Cole, given that he has no experience as a head coach.
