RANGERS caretaker boss Graeme Murty has urged chairman Dave King to wrap up his search for a new manager as soon as possible – for the sake of “all involved”.
It is now 29 days since Gers sacked Pedro Caixinha but the club appear no closer to appointing the Portuguese manager’s successor.
Murty’s own chances of landing the job appear to have been dashed by Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Hamilton.
Yet he will again be asked to take the reins when the Ibrox men travel east for for tonight’s clash with Dundee.
And with the interim boss confessing some players may struggle to focus amid the continuing uncertainty, he suggested King and his fellow board members should make their minds up sooner rather than later.
“It would be good for all involved if we had someone in place, whether that be me or someone else,” said the Ibrox under-20s coach.
“But until that happens we are coping. We are actually moving forward. The players are working extremely hard. They are doing their bit – that’s all they can think about.
“I can’t think about (the search for a new manager) either so if there are people outside the club speculating and saying things, they can crack on. We’ll just make sure that things in-house are taken care of properly.”
Derek McInnes appeared from the outset to be the man the Gers wanted but Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne has poured cold water on that possibility by insisting the Pittodire boss wants to stay put.
Now Murty admits the longer the club go with out a permanent manager, the more scope there is for players’ minds to wander.
He said: “It could have an impact if the players allow it to have an impact.
“If the players are too concentrated on, ‘It could be this guy or that guy, he likes this kind of player’, then they could forget to focus on what’s really important – preparing themselves properly every day.
“I’ve told the boys just to control what they can control. They can’t control the board or how long it’s going to take. They have to be wise enough to accept the things they can’t change.
“I’ve encouraged the boys to focus within and they’ve been trying to do that this week.”
Murty says he is “getting on with the job” but refused to speculate whether he is still a realistic candidate after overseeing Rangers’ first league defeat at home to Accies in 91 years.
“It hasn’t had any impact because I don’t think about my status, my reputation or my role”, he said. “I think about what’s best for the players and the football club.”
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