Forget Sheffield Wednesday - West Brom & Watford fans will also be intrigued by Rangers developments | OneFootball

Slaven Bilic has emerged as a potential candidate for the Ibrox vacancy

With all of Europe's major footballing leagues enduring a two-week fixture gap due to the October international break, plenty of managerial-related discourse has filled the headlines.

And, it has to be said, that such developments have been more prominent at Ibrox than anywhere else, with Rangers on the hunt for Russell Martin's immediate successor, with the former Southampton boss handed his P45 following a 1-1 draw at Falkirk on October 5th.

It has been a dismal start to the SPFL season and their European campaign for the Light Blues, who were dumped into the UEFA Europa League's 'league phase' prior to the eight-game draw after suffering the embarrassment of a 9-1 aggregate defeat to Belgian side, Club Brugge, whilst also falling 11 points behind current league leaders, Hearts, after just eight games played.

As such, ownership group, 49ers Enterprises - who also took over Leeds United following the Whites' relegation to the Championship in May 2023 - are now looking for the second permanent boss of their short tenure in the boardroom thus far, after Martin eventually replaced the under-fire Phillipe Clement, who was relieved of his duties in February before Barry Ferguson oversaw matters on an interim basis.

With a strong sense of frustration and apathy filling the air on the banks of the Clyde, it's imperative that Andrew Cavanagh nails his next appointment, with plenty of current and ex-Championship bosses linked with the role, such as Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town, along with the currently unemployed trio of Michael Carrick, Danny Rohl and Slaven Bilic.

Rohl's links with the role have generated plenty of praise relating to his exploits at Sheffield Wednesday in a tricky period which eventually saw him leave the club in the summer amid well-documented financial issues. However, West Bromwich Albion and Watford supporters will be as intrigued to see Bilic emerge as another candidate.

Bilic's approach to management has yielded varying success thus far, with the previously no-nonsense full-back well known on the British circuit.

The Croatian is best known for overseeing matters at former club, West Ham United, where he took charge of the Irons in their final season at the Boleyn Ground and the first at the controversial London Stadium, albeit his side would fail to reach the group stages of the Europa League in both 2015/16 and 2016/17.

After overseeing 111 games in East London and a brief stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, it came as a surprise when Bilic returned to England to take over at West Brom in the summer of 2019, shortly after the Baggies' play-off semi-final defeat against Aston Villa.

However, Albion supporters were treated to a remarkable season, with the likes of Matheus Pereira, Grady Diangana, Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu perfectly embodying the blend of flair and experience that eventually helped the newly-appointed boss achieve automatic promotion in his first season at The Hawthorns.

As expected, Albion were embroiled in a fight against relegation right from the get-go in his final months, although the timing of his dismissal in B71 still came as a slight surprise, with the last of his 65 encounters being a 1-1 draw against eventual champions, Manchester City, at the Etihad Stadium.

After another spell abroad with Beijing Guoan, Bilic returned to the Championship in September 2022 as the latest man in the never-ending chain of Watford managers under the Pozzo family's controversial ownership.

However, those at Vicarage Road didn't quite see what had gone before up the M1 despite having a strong squad after being newly relegated from the Premier League.

The Hornets would win 10 of Bilic's 26 games in charge, including a memorable 4-0 success over eventual promotion winners and bitter rivals, Luton Town, then managed by his predecessor, Rob Edwards. However, they would start and end his reign in 10th place in the Championship table, albeit just four points outside the top six.

Slaven Bilic eager to return to management amid Rangers links

Bilic's links as a potential contender come after it was revealed that Steven Gerrard had declined the Ibrox vacancy for a second time, four years after he'd delivered a then-record-breaking 55th SPFL title success in front of prior and subsequently dominant Old Firm rivals, Celtic.

His personality is certainly one which would align with the culture fostered inside Ibrox and by supporters, which is an 'us against the world' mentality that has brought so many trophies to the club over a rich history.

As showcased through his times at West Ham and West Brom, Bilic's sides have been extremely exciting to watch, whilst also not being afraid to mix up their style depending on the opposition, which is a complete contrast to that of Martin, who won just one league game and lost to both Genk and Sturm Graz in the opening two Europa League encounters.

It remains to be seen if Bilic ends up taking over at Ibrox amid claims that he is eager to return to management having been out of the dugout since August 2024. If he does, two Championship fanbases will certainly watch on with intrigue.