Rangers appoint Graeme Murty as manager for remainder of 2017/18 season
Friday 22 December 2017 23:58, UK
Rangers have appointed caretaker manager Graeme Murty as boss for the remainder of the 2017/18 season.
The club's youth coach has been in interim charge since Pedro Caixinha was sacked at the end of October.
Since then Murty has overseen nine games, winning six and winning four Premiership games in a row, something Caixinha failed to do in his time at the helm.
The former Reading full-back said: "It is a genuine privilege for me to be made manager until the end of the season.
"It's a huge honour to be asked to do so and I will continue to give everything I have to ensure we have a positive second half of the campaign.
"There is still so much to play for and we cannot let our fans down. They have been incredible. They have given me so much great support during my two spells in the dugout and I would like to thank everyone for their backing.
"I would also like to thank the board for showing faith in me and I will work tirelessly with the players and coaching staff in order to improve our league position and be successful in the Scottish Cup."
Murty's appointment comes after Rangers' first-choice target Derek McInnes chose not to return to the club he played for and stay with Aberdeen.
The Glasgow side responded to that by saying Murty would be in temporary charge until the end of 2017 but have now chosen to extend his time in the role.
He had taken Rangers up to second in the Scottish Premiership, although Saturday's defeat to St Johnstone saw them fall back down to third.
Despite recent victories over fellow top-four sides Aberdeen and Hibernian, the Ibrox team are currently eight points behind their Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Nevertheless, Murty - who has been given the final say on transfers next month - has been tasked with challenging at the top end of the table and for the Scottish Cup.
A Rangers statement added: "The club's directors believe Graeme has demonstrated he is capable of handling this task successfully and are confident the players will continue to respond to his leadership in a positive manner.
"With so much still at stake in the current season this decision was not taken lightly but now that Graeme has been given full control he can work towards the obvious targets with greater focus."
