Rangers have had 19 permanent directors during their history, with Philippe Clement the current boss in the Ibrox dugout.
The Belgian arrived in October 2023 and took Gers’ Scottish Premiership The campaign is back on track, making a positive impression on his arrival at Ibrox. However, things didn’t quite go to plan for Clement and Rangers in the 2024/25 season, which had an impact on his Rangers win percentage.
Football FanCast took a look at the club’s top 10 permanent managers based on their win percentages, with at least ten games in charge.
Related
Data corrected as of January 1, 2024.
|
Best Rangers managers by winning percentage (min. 10 games) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Director |
Games |
Win% |
|
Ally McCoist |
167 |
72.5% |
|
Michael Beale |
43 |
72.1% |
|
Bill Struth |
1,576 |
68.4% |
|
Dick lawyer |
195 |
67.2% |
|
Mark Warburton |
82 |
67.1% |
|
Alex McLeish |
235 |
66% |
|
Philippe Clement |
74 |
64.9% |
|
Steven Gerrard |
193 |
64.8% |
|
Davy White |
119 |
64.71% |
|
Scottish Simon |
711 |
64.7% |
|
Statistics are correct as of January 2, 2025 |
||
10
Scot Symon – 64.7%
July 1954 – October 1967
Scott Simon finished his playing career with 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. Simon was also the man who took the club to 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 arrived at Ibrox as Symon’s assistant before being sacked. White then took over from Simon but was in charge of the Scottish giants for just two years.
He did not win any major honors during his tenure, however, he ended up with a slightly better record than his predecessor, finishing with a record 77 wins in 119 games.
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 ended Rangers’ 10-year wait for a Scottish title in 2020/21, completing the entire league season without defeat and finishing with more than 100 points.
However, that proved to be the pinnacle for Gerrard, who decided after more than three years in charge that it was time to leave Ibrox, joining Aston Villa and leaving with 125 wins in 193 games.
Related
7
Philippe Clement – 64.9%
October 2023 – today
Philippe Clement has made a good start to his tenure as Rangers boss and was ranked number one on this list for much of the last campaign.
However, as the Gers’ bid dropped, so did the Belgian’s winning percentage. Indeed, after winning 18 of the first 20 league games, the Rangers won just one of the next 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 kick off 2025 has at least moved Clement into 7th place.
6
Alex McLeish – 66%
December 2001 – June 2006
Alex McLeish enjoyed plenty of success when he joined from Hibernian in 2001, winning both domestic cups in his first season. The following campaign saw him complete a historic treble and the Scot would go on to win another Scottish Championship and Scottish League Cup before his exit.
He was also the Rangers manager who took the club to the Champions League group stage for the first time and at the end of the 2005/06 season, McLeish left after 155 wins in 235 games.
5
Mark Warburton – 67.1%
July 2015 – February 2017
Mark Warburton moved to Rangers in 2015 from Brentford and was tasked with bringing the club back into the Scottish Premiership. He managed to do just that by winning the Championship title while also leading the club to Scottish Challenge Cup triumph and the Scottish Cup final.
However, Rangers’ much-anticipated return to the top flight did not go quite to Warburton’s liking, leaving in 2017 after 55 wins in 82 games before returning to England shortly afterwards 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 Holland, including time as national manager, Advocaat replaced Walter Smith at Ibrox and was effectively 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 to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup on his debut. His second season also saw more silverware, but things began to unravel after the millennium, with Advocaat finally calling it quits at the end of 2001 with 131 wins from 195 matches.
3
Bill Struth – 68.4%
May 1920 – June 1954
Ibrox legend Bill Struth had 30 years with Rangers in various roles, starting as assistant manager in 1914. Six years later, Struth then took over as manager and won 14 titles in 19 years before the Second World War. He finished his season with 1,078 wins from 1,576 games.
The Scot won a total of 73 trophies during his career, making him the most decorated British manager of all time, while Struth was also manager and vice-chairman of Rangers before his death in 1956.
2
Michael Beale – 72.1%
November 2022 – October 2023
Many Rangers fans have never been convinced by Michael Beale, but statistically, he is one of the best Ibrox bosses of all time, albeit in a short time. 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 trophyless and the start of the 2023/24 campaign drew criticism from supporters. After less than a year in charge and a slow start to the Scottish Championship 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 superb skill and commentary, former Rangers striker Ally McCoist was also a superb manager at Ibrox, having initially learned the trade as Walter Smith’s assistant.
McCoist was appointed as manager in the summer of 2011 and spent more than three years in charge, overseeing matters during the club’s reign that led to relegation to the Third Division.
The Scot remained at Rangers through a difficult period and led the club to back-to-back Championship promotions before leaving in 2014 after 121 wins in 167 games.
So there’s 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 that better than anyone else at the helm.
