Steven Davis insists football management has always been on his agenda – but not quite this soon in his budding coaching career.
The Northern Ireland midfielder was last night named interim manager of Rangers while the club looks to find a permanent successor to Michael Beale.
Beale was sacked following a poor start to the season which ultimately saw the club fall seven points behind Celtic just two months into the campaign.
Upon the confirmation of the Englishman’s departure, Davis was announced as temporary boss. He will be assisted by Alex Rae, Stevie Smith, Brian Gilmour and Colin Stewart. Rangers face two matches against Aris Limassol and St Mirren prior to the international break.
🎥 Interim Manager Steven Davis spoke exclusively to @RangersTV. pic.twitter.com/Q09ro0g0cU
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) October 2, 2023
While Davis admits the opportunity to manage his boyhood club came as a shock and earlier than he’d expected, there was no way he could turn it down. The 38-year-old is determined to get the results the club demands for however long he’s in the role.
“I feel very honoured,” Davis said proudly. “The call came out of the blue, I certainly wasn’t expecting it. I would just like to try and repay the trust the club have shown in putting me in this position.
“Obviously it’s not a position we’d like to be in, we’re disappointed with where we’re at, at this minute in time. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s been really crazy. I got the phone mail late last night to let me know Michael and his staff were leaving. We then had a chat and they wanted me to come in and lead the team, alongside Alex, Steven and Brian.
“I’m delighted to get the opportunity. I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead. I believe in the group that we’ve got. Things haven’t gone the way we would have liked and we find ourselves in a situation. But I’m sure with myself and the fans pushing each other in the same direction we’ll go on and get some good results.
“To be honest, management is something I have considered for further down the line. I didn’t expect to get this opportunity - it didn’t even cross my mind. But it was an opportunity I just couldn’t turn down. It’s going to be a great experience for me and I look forward to the challenge.
“My phone’s been blowing up as you can imagine I’ve not really had the chance to look at it too much. It has been a bit of a whirlwind, I was straight up here and into the training ground this morning and trying to get to work on preparation for the game on Thursday so I haven’t had the chance to sit back and think about anything. It has been full steam ahead but I am sure I will get that opportunity.
“Everyone knows what the club means to me and my approach is just going to be the same as it’s been with me as a player throughout may time at the club. I’ll give it my best and hopefully that’s good enough.”
Davis played under some terrific managers during his time as a player at Rangers and Southampton, including Walter Smith, Steven Gerrard, Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman.
The midfielder admits he likes football to be played in a certain manner. But of course, it’s results that count when all is said and done. That’s what Davis is essentially looking to deliver in the meantime.
He added on Rangers TV: “Ultimately you have to be your own person but of course I worked with some incredible managers. Walter, at this club, it was a great honour to play under him for so many years and have the relationship I did with him.
“At Southampton, I played under some great managers as well in Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. Internationally, with Michael O’Neill as well, who I have a very close relationship with.
“I’ve been fortunate to play under a number of really good managers and pick up a lot of things from them as well over the years. I’ll try and implement some of those things they probably showed me, but it’s a short-term approach at this minute in time.
“I just want to try and get results back in place where we’d like them to be. It’s going to be a joint effort between myself and the rest of the staff.
“I think I like to play football in a certain way but ultimately you have to get results. That’s first and foremost at a club like Rangers and that’s what the expectation is.
“I just want to try and get some pride back in terms of how we play and try get the boys' confidence back as well. I think we have got a really good group here. I see the level of application they show every day here.
“I have been in and around it long enough with the majority of them, so I just want to put that belief back in the team and give them a platform to show their best performances.”
