Kevin Muscat holds next Rangers boss ace with Neil McCann ideally placed for interim job before arrival - Keith Jackson

Sporting director Kevin Thelwell is facing major scrutiny with Danny Rohl and Muscat leading the race to become Ibrox boss

He was almost certainly the best man for the Rangers job three years ago when he made it into the interview process.

But Kevin Muscat was pipped at the post for the position by Philippe Clement and there’s not much to be learned from picking through the bones of that particular misstep.

Needless to say, Rangers are right back at square one, knee deep in an ongoing, self-inflicted crisis and desperately searching for another new manager - or head coach - having parted company with the Belgian some time ago before hiring and then firing Russell Martin as his successor.

During this same period of almost unrelenting chaos and downward spirals, Muscat’s own credentials have continued to soar.

He recovered from the stinging disappointment of being overlooked by his former club, and denied a route into European football, by landing a job in China with Shanghai Port.

Having led them to the Super League title last season he’s currently hunting down a second successive championship win, with his rampant team sitting in pole position with just four games of the Asian season remaining.

They’ve blitzed 63 goals in 26 league games which is in itself an indicator of the kind of football Muscat endorses.

In other words, while Rangers have drifted further and further away from being considered a credible force in their own back yard, Muscat has been trending upwards once again having already conquered the A-League in Australia as well as the J-League in Japan.

Ironically, he may have lost out on the Rangers job last time around chiefly because the men in charge of making that decision at the time were worried they would stand accused of trying to copy Celtic’s homework.

At that particular moment in time there were some lazy accusations being tossed around that Muscat was some sort of Ange Postecoglou Light, having followed in the trailblazing footsteps of the former Parkhead boss from one club and continent to the next.

What should have been considered as an obvious positive was considered by some as a glaring negative and even a potential black mark against Muscat’s candidacy.

It didn’t make much sense at all but then, in the great odditorium of the Scottish game - and when thrown into the looney-tunes environment of this particular rivalry - it was probably an inevitable backlash all the same.

This time around, however, the very idea of turning to the 52-year-old Aussie is receiving pretty much unanimous backing from a support which is crying out for Muscat’s brand of iron fisted leadership, high octane, front footed aggression and steely will to win.

On Monday afternoon, after days of fretting over a ludicrously high profile snub from Steven Gerrard, word began to emerge that Muscat was finally being considered seriously as an option.

And given that Danny Rohl - a 36-year-old German with one full season behind him during which he achieved a 12th place finish in the Championship at Sheffield Wednesday - had taken Gerrard’s position as the obvious frontrunner, it was really little wonder.

Rohl’s name first cropped up among the candidates pulled together by sporting director Kevin Thelwell back in the summer. That Thelwell ultimately decided Martin to be the better qualified candidate caused an instant credibility problem.

Now that Thelwell’s every move is being scrutinised and questioned by an increasingly suspicious and hostile support, how on earth can he look these fans in the eye and attempt to convince them that Rohl was actually the real deal all along?

When no other club in Germany, England or anywhere else for that matter has reached the same conclusion over the course of the subsequent months?

It could still be, of course, that Rohl does end up getting the gig. But if he does, he’ll be on the back foot from day one and, as Thelwell’s pick, is unlikely to be afforded any kind of trust or goodwill from the stands.

Rohl would have to hit the ground running like some sort of managerial Usain Bolt just to earn himself a bit of breathing space in Glasgow - at a time when the club is already languishing in 8th position in the table and has lost its opening two games in the Europa league.

If Rangers new owners haven’t realised it already, let us be clear, Rohl would be on a hiding to nothing and the fact that Thelwell still thinks it’s worth taking such a reckless punt perfectly illustrates why the malfunctioning Englishman should be no-where near the decision making process.

Muscat though? Now he would represent a different prospect entirely - assuming that, unlike Gerrard, he would be prepared to work under and be answerable to the likes of Thelwell and CEO Patrick Stewart. And that too remains the subject of considerable uncertainty.

What is beyond doubt, however, is that Muscat, unlike the other names which are being mentioned in dispatches, is a man with a long standing connection already secured with the club and its supporters, given his highly successful, albeit brief spell at Ibrox as a player more than 20 years ago.

He may only have worn the shirt on 22 occasions during the 2002/03 season but he still ended the season with his hands on a domestic treble. It might have been a couple of decades ago but there’s credit still in the bank regardless..

Also, he may just have a secret ace in the pack when it comes to the bad hand Rangers are currently dealing with.

Because, two years ago, had he been selected as the successful candidate, Muscat had identified and earmarked former team mate Neil McCann as the man he would bring in to assist him in the dugout.

The pair, it’s understood, remain close to this day.

Which means, even if Muscat could not be persuaded to up sticks immediately and leave the climax to the Chinese season behind him, then McCann would be able to step back into the club on an interim basis to hold the fort for him in the meantime.

It’s still possible, although not set in stone, that Muscat could be needed in Shanghai until the final game of the season on November 22.

While such a delay would be far from ideal, McCann might feel ideally placed to make a quick return to the set-up having only just left the place along with Barry Ferguson and the rest of the interim staff rushed in for the final three months of last season.

McCann - previously a manager in his own right - also has the advantage of knowing the strengths, weaknesses and personalities of the players he worked with during that period.

It would certainly make more sense to ask McCann to front things up for a while rather than turn to under 19s coach Stevie Smith and hope that he can somehow keep Rangers alive in Europe and guide them past Brendan Rodgers and Celtic in the semi final of the Premier Sports Cup.

With a home match against Dundee United to come as soon as Saturday, the prospect of McCann now with Muscat to follow might seem like a convenient fix.

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