As Muscat emerges as the new favourite for the Ibrox job, just wait until the media starts touting ‘If Postecoglou could do it at Celtic, Muscat can do it at Ibrox’

The last time that Kevin Muscat was in the running for the Ibrox job, the SMSM were comparing him to Ange Postecoglou.

They believed that he could achieve what Ange Postecoglou achieved at Celtic.

Why?

Because he learned from Ange Postecoglou during his time with him at Melbourne Victory, and the Australian national side.

They will also lean towards the fact that Ange Postecoglou is a keen advocate of Muscat’s.

Postecoglou has spoken highly of Muscat in the past, and believes that he’s got what it takes to make it as a coach on the European stage.

All well and good, but that doesn’t mean that Kevin Muscat can morph into Ange Postecoglou, and turn the Ibrox side into treble winners within a season.

As time goes by, there’s no doubting that Muscat is emerging as the clear favourite for the job at Ibrox.

In addition to that, he’s exactly the kind of character they’d love to see in the dugout over there.

In 2013, Spanish football website El Gol Digital named Muscat as the dirtiest player in football history, above the infamous Andoni ‘The Butcher of Bilbao’ Goikoetxea.

Muscat was also described as “the most hated man in football”.

Matty Holmes was awarded £250,000 by the High Court in 2004 after one brutal challenge by Muscat during an FA Cup replay between Wolves and Charlton Athletic.

The horrendous tackle left the former Athletic midfielder requiring skin grafts and a metal bolt inserted into his ankle.

Ultimately, this finished Holmes’ career.

He was informed by his surgeon that he was lucky not to have his leg amputated.

In a professional career spanning 19 years from 1992 to 2011, Muscat received 123 yellow cards and 12 red cards.

So, the fact that he was the most “hated” and “dirtiest” player in world football will go down a treat at Ibrox.

In addition to that, he gets them.

Well, he gets the dead club.

He was part of the 2003 treble winning Rangers 1872 side.

Muscat played his final game for that side in the 2003 Scottish Cup final.

He spent just one season at Ibrox, but it was at the height of the cheating years.

Consequently, Muscat received £1 million pounds via EBT in a Rangers 1872 career that spanned just 22 games.

This meant that his wages were topped up by an incredible £40,000 per game.

So, yes, he gets it, and he’s the ideal candidate for the job there.

There’s no doubt he will quite happily don the blazer, club tie, and brown brogues.

There’s also no doubt he’ll embrace the kulture over there.

In addition to that, he will probably coach his side to be extremely dirty.

Fully in the knowledge that the majority of referees will support this kind of approach.

But “Musky”, as Ange Postecoglou fondly refers to him, is not Ange Postecoglou.

People thinking that he can emulate Ange Postecoglou’s achievements at Celtic should think again.

The circumstances are entirely different.

Muscat will not be able to perform a team rebuild.

Unfortunately for him, his predecessor was already involved in that in conjunction with Kev Thelwell.

With the bones of £20 million already sunken into the first team squad, Muscat will have to work with what he’s got until January at least.

Ange Postecoglou’s net spend in his first year at Celtic was just £2.5 million.

Obviously, this is taking into account the sales of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer, for £14.5 million and £13.5 respectively.

Since then, if you look at the return the club has made on Postecoglou’s purchases, it shows the calibre of player he brought in.

Muscat will not have that luxury at Ibrox.

Now, you can be guaranteed the SMSM will be expecting him to go to the same well Postecoglou did, i.e. the Asian market.

But realistically, how many players could Muscat possibly bring into an already over bloated squad?

There are 30 players currently in the Ibrox senior squad.

Many of which have not even been really tried and tested, especially during the calamitous Russell Martin era.

None of them will even have made a name for themselves to increase their market value.

So, the big question here is whether Muscat will be allowed to do a clear out in January to bring in his own type of player?

This would result in huge financial losses for the Americans, who put their money where there mouth is when it came to backing the Russell Martin revolution.

Youssef Chermiti is just one example of that.

£8 million on a player who had achieved nothing prior to arriving at Ibrox.

He has yet to achieve anything of note.

Taking all of these things into account, if the SMSM starts harping on about what Ange Postecoglou achieved, all it will do is serve as a rod to beat Muscat with.

If he takes the Ibrox job, he will be accepting it under totally different circumstances to what Ange Postecoglou took on at Celtic.

Effectively, Postecoglou had a blank canvas at Celtic.

Muscat will not have that luxury at Ibrox.

He will be inheriting an unmitigated shitshow in the wake of the failed Russell Martin experiment.

He might have certain demands, and want certain assurances from the Ibrox hierarchy, but the fact that they went all in on the Martin experiment is going to limit that somewhat.

It’s probably a big part of why Steven Gerrard walked away from the negotiating table last week.

As we’re all well aware, he is very much a chequebook manager.

And if the Americans weren’t willing to open the chequebook for him, well that points to two things.

They’re not willing to spend any more until they see a return on their current investment.

Which means Gerrard was told he would have to work with what he inherited.

Which, in turn, means that Muscat will most likely have to do the same thing.

The Americans will already be smarting from the severance package they had to pay to Russell Martin.

That means they’ll also be loathe to buy Muscat out of his current contract at Shanghai Port, which is rumoured to be £1.6 million per year.

The Americans have discovered that the Ibrox fanbase believes that money grows on trees.

But I’m sure Andrew Cavenagh is acutely aware that it does not.

Especially considering he’s in the insurance game.

So, yes, Muscat is emerging as the favourite for the Ibrox job.

But when the media starts with the Ange Postecoglou comparisons, which they no doubt will, you should treat that bollocks with the contempt it deserves.

Because there will be no comparison.

The circumstances over there are entirely different to those which Ange Postecoglou walked into.

Muscat might make a fist of it at Ibrox, or an elbow, considering his past, but as is always the case at Ibrox, it will take time.

And just like they believe money grows on trees over there, they also believe that time is a commodity that should be afforded to no Ibrox manager.

They want to win the title yesterday.

Which is why, just like the eleven poor suckers who stood in the dugout before him, Muscat will fail at Ibrox.

The insanity over there will see to that.

It always does in the end.