For the second time this season, Rangers find themselves looking for a new manager.
Facing a fight to finish even third in the Premiership, their fragile reputation took another battering on Sunday as they were defeated 5-0 by Celtic. The heartless performance from the men in blue was too much for Graeme Murty to overcome.
After that abysmal display at Parkhead, a near 48-hour media blackout was ended on Tuesday by the announcement that his time at Ibrox had been brought to a premature halt.
There are no secrets as to the identity of the man they want to take over.
Steven Gerrard is firmly in the spotlight in this regard, with the ball firmly in his court should he wish to begin his senior managerial career at one of the best supported – and potentially biggest – clubs in the UK.
The messages to the Liverpool icon have been mixed. Some pundits have suggested that Rangers are simply in too great a mess for a rookie manager to take the reins, while others have advised that the task of reviving the club’s ailing fortunes is one he is perfect for.
The former England midfielder knows more than most what it means to play in a football-mad city for immensely passionate fans and it will only be if and when the job starts in earnest that he will appreciate just how hungry the Glasgow club are once again for a taste of the high life.
Since being demoted to the bottom tier of the senior Scottish game in 2012, they have fought hard to get on a level playing field with Celtic.
Not only have they lagged their neighbours on the pitch, they have been hopelessly left behind off it, too. PR disaster seems to have followed PR disaster, leaving the name and reputation of the club soiled from the once-great institution it was revered as little over a decade ago.
Meanwhile, this poster has been spotted in Liverpool...
Gerrard’s potential arrival in Scotland at least suggests that they are taking a step forward in this regard, although should he turn the job down it will represent only another bloody nose.
In the event of his signing, however, their reputation would receive a much-needed boost and their project for restoring the club given instant credibility.
Simply being able to attract a name of such calibre would be a major boon for the Gers, who are in danger of finishing the season fourth behind Hibs, Aberdeen and Celtic, whose victory at the weekend gave the Ibrox men an unwanted reminder of the trophy-winning feeling that has eluded them for so long.
Even the reports linking Gerrard to the role at Ibrox have brought welcome relief from the negative press and have got fans all over Britain talking about the club in positive terms. It has been a long time since this was the case.
“He'll be able to attract bigger players because of who he is and what he brings to the football club,” former England team-mate Alan Shearer told BBC Sport.
“Wherever he goes, people will follow because he's such a huge name.”
Rangers have already started building for next season; Scott Arfield and Allan McGregor are set to arrive on Bosman deals. Both represent solid arrivals, yet the prospect of even bigger names is a tantalising one.
Just as Brendan Rodgers has leveraged his reputation across the city to attract the likes of Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair – players they might otherwise have struggled to secure – the hope is that Gerrard can do likewise.
But a much-needed feel-good factor is not the only thing he would bring to the Ibrox club; he would carry with him gravitas and clout that they have been too long bereft of.
His success as a player alone will make those in the dressing room take heed – but also Rangers’ opponents. Not since the days of Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup has there been a world-class player in the Rangers blue.
Gerrard may have hung up his boots a couple years ago, but the board know he still carries that aura and will want him to have a similar impact to the one that Zinedine Zidane has had at Real Madrid in his first senior post.
Having no doubt witnessed just how far the Gers trail Celtic from Sunday’s Old Firm game, Gerrard must decide if this is a job that is really suited to his skillset and knowledge.
For Rangers to regain some of their former clout, however, he represents an ideal option and a fast track to finally winning some respect back after years in the wilderness.
