McLeish to leave Rangers at end of season

Published on Thursday 9 February 2006 17:40

RANGERS' manager Alex McLeish will quit Ibrox at the end of this season, the club has confirmed.

The embattled manager has seen his side record one of the worst seasons in the team’s history so far, with only 12 victories out of 25 matches in the league as well as elimination from both cup competitions. The two most recent defeats – 3-0 at the hands of Hibs in the Scottish Cup and 2-0 to Aberdeen in the league – must surely have been the last straw for most of the team’s supporters and also those running the club.

Despite winning seven trophies in his time at Ibrox and leading Rangers to the knock-out stages of the Champions League - something no other Scottish team has ever achieved - the failures of this season made it inevitable that McLeish would be unlikely to remain with the club.

In a statement, club chairman David Murray said:

"The manager’s departure was agreed in early January as Alex believed that a four-and-a-half year term at the club was an appropriate period upon which to end his tenure. It had always been the board’s intention to make this announcement after the Villarreal Champions League matches…however, in light of recent results…it was agreed that the announcement of the manager’s departure should be made now."