Jim Magilton it is then. Since hearing the news this afternoon I have been mulling over whether or not this is a good appointment, whether the waves of antipathy sweeping the message boards are valid or indeed fair. And then it struck me, it doesn’t really matter whether we like him or not, he will be out the door by the start of November and we can start all over again. 

So after jettisoning Paulo Sousa at the arse end of the season Rangers have taken their time over this appointment, apparently been inundated with applications and indeed interviewed Magilton four times before they appointed him. Four! You have to wonder how many times Magilton uttered the words “Yes Mr Briatore” in those four meetings? I would imagine that it must have been a pretty high number! 

Will it work out in the long run? Will he even get a long run for it to work out in? Only one person knows the answer to that. Even if the fans aren’t on the manager’s side then the support of a good chairman is invaluable to a manager. Unfortunately our chairman likes to meddle. Hopefully Magilton will be given the opportunity to shape the squad as he sees fit, I somehow doubt it though. What is more likely is that players will be bought for him based on who represents them and he will be told to cobble them into the team in a pre agreed formation. 

Under Magilton Ipswich have finished 14^th, 8^th and 9^th, the year they finished 8^th they turned Portman Road into a fortress and that does seem to have played against them last year with a highly expectant home crowd quick to jump on the players backs if they weren’t dispatching the opposition with ease. At least he won’t find that at Loftus Road! Last season the Ipswich owner, Marcus Evans, backed Magilton in the transfer market hoping that a play off place would result. They were there or thereabouts for much of the campaign but ultimately slipped out of contention. 

Ipswich played some good stuff under Magilton so if he can replicate that at Rangers then it will certainly go a long way to placating the fans and to stop him feeling the cool steel of Flavio’s axe. It has to be good winning football though, it is no good playing pretty stuff and getting draws, the team need to be ruthless and that ruthlessness has to come from the manager. 

Am I pleased with his appointment? No. Am I furiously ripping up my season ticket or trying to flog it off? No. Will I give my support to the new man? Unquestionably. Hopefully he will get the fans on his side, hopefully he will get the chairman on his side and hopefully this will be the start of a bright and promising season for Rangers. Hopefully.

simon@qprnet.com