News and Views

Royals Legend to Head Rangers - Expected or Not?

21 February 2017
By Guest Post

The news has it that Graeme Murty, legendary Royals player, has been elevated to temporary manager of Rangers after the resignation of current manager Mark Warburton and his assistant David Weir. However, there seems to be a bit of confusion in the move as it appears as though Warburton didn't know the change was taking place. Was it just sooner than he expected or did he not actually tender his resignation? While it may seem like a moot point at this juncture, any amount of tension could interfere with Rangers' performance and this might set bookmakers throughout the country at odds in how to calculate odds when taking bets! Here is what we know so far.

News Hits the Stands 11 February

Our own getreading.co.uk had a write up on the Reading great, Graeme Murty, stating that he had been named interim manager of the Scottish football club, Rangers after Warburton and Weir resigned. It was posted that Warburton acted surprised at being replaced as did Weir and Frank McParland who is also said to have resigned from his position as recruitment head. This leads fans throughout the UK to ponder the move and if there were really resignations prior to moving Murty up or if those were unexpected events that the owners felt would be good for the club.

Statement Issued by Dave King

Amidst Warburton's denial of having turned in a resignation, Dave King, the chairman of Rangers made an official statement that the club had accepted Warburton's resignation. The controversy surrounds how the resignation was handed in and whether or not the three had any knowledge of what their agent was doing. According to King, he was approached by the agent who said they would resign immediately if Rangers would waive any compensation agreement coming from a new club the trio wished to sign with. In respect to who delivered the resignation to the Rangers' chairmen, there is some amount of controversy because there is still the question as to whether or not it was official or precipitous on the part of the Rangers' chairman.

Can Royals Legend Lead the Rangers to a Championship?

Then there is the fact that Royals legend, Graeme Murty who captained the Royals to an astounding championship back in 2006, was already with Rangers from last August of 2016. Being familiar with the team and working with them for the past half year may make a difference in the transition, albeit a temporary one. It was his lead of Reading to the 2006 promotion that took them to the Championship with 106 points. After eleven years with the Royals, diehard fans are eager to see Murty succeed, except at the cost of their own Royals. Another tension, for sure! A Royals legend leading another club to victory? It's debated how fans will take that news if and when it comes but at the moment, Royals fans are proud of their former player and wish him well.

Because such things as management do affect the way in which players function on the field, bookmakers are yet unsure how to calculate odds, not having many games to judge by. It will all work out in the end once the change is made clearer and if Warburton gives up willingly, but in the meantime, you may find various odds between bookmakers as each has a different take on how to rate players and teams. For the time being, the Royals are proud of their former star, Rangers have a temporary manager and Warburton and King can duke it out, off the field.

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