Former Newcastle boss Alan Pardew puts his name forward for job live on talkSPORT

Following on from the sacking of Philippe Clement, one former Newcastle manager has emerged as a surprise candidate for the vacant managerial job at Rangers.

The Scottish giants find themselves in a tough predicament for the rest of the campaign, having been knocked out of the cup and rivals Celtic far ahead in the title race.

But the allure of the club could be enough to tempt this manager back into the dugout for the first time in over two years…

Alan Pardew joins list of candidates

Speaking on TalkSPORT on Sunday afternoon, former Newcastle and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew expressed some interest in becoming the next permanent Rangers manager.

In conversation with Faye Carruthers on The Final Word, Pardew remarked at how appealing a prospect managing the Glaswegians would be for any manager.

“I think you know any manager who's out of work would be interested in Rangers. It's a big club and you know, there's obviously noises from up there that all is not well and they do look some way away.”

The right man for the job?

On his CV alone, Pardew would certainly be one of the most viable candidates available to Rangers.

With consistently solid finishes  in the Premier League, coupled with deep runs in the Europa League and FA Cup, he may slightly pale to Brendan Rodgers in terms of accolades in English football, but would be an interesting appointment.

However, Pardew hasn’t managed professionally since February 2023, when he was dismissed by Greek side Aris after just 21 matches in charge.

Rangers a poisoned chalice?

Ever since Giovanni Van Bronckhorst led the ‘Gers to the Europa League final, the Rangers job has proven to be one of the toughest in Britain.

Having to compete with the likes of Celtic domestically and some of Europe’s elite in the Champions League and Europa League, there are hefty expectations upon whoever sits in the dugout.

The position has become a lot more turbulent in recent years as well, with four managers being dismissed in the last eight years alone, including the aforementioned Van Bronckhorst and Clement.

With a number of Championship and Premier League vacancies no doubt becoming available come the end of the season, would pushing for the Rangers job really be the right move for Pardew?