8 Managers Who Nearly Became Rangers Boss

5. Terry Butcher

This past Christmas isn't the first time that former Rangers captain Terry Butcher has been linked with the Ibrox hot seat. Previously, right before Walter Smith's second reign in charge at the club came to an end in 2011, the Englishman was considered by many a favourite to succeed his former manager, but the job would eventually go to Ally McCoist. In truth, McCoist was the only real candidate, hand-chosen by Walter Smith. Remarkably, the legendary striker would almost act in a similar fashion to that of David Moyes at Manchester United. Hand-picked by a club legend, Alex Ferguson, Moyes was unable to follow the man who chose him, and the same could be said of Ally McCoist, who couldn't live up to Smith's billing. As for Terry Butcher, the man had done a fine job with smaller teams such as Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Motherwell, leading both clubs to higher finishes than they had ever managed (in the case of Inverness) or had done for years (Motherwell). A short, terrible stint at Hibernian manager in 2013-2014 aside, Butcher had shown he was a decent gaffer. When McCoist was relieved of his duties in late-2014, Terry Butcher was discussed as a potential replacement, certainly in the short-term. Kenny McDowall would eventually be handed the reigns, during a disastrous spell for the Ibrox outfit, and it's fair to say that Butcher couldn't have done much worse than either McCoist or McDowall.