Russell Martin is hanging by a thread. The Rangers boss insists he still has the backing of the Ibrox board; but with the worst start of any permanent Gers manager on record, few fans are buying it.

Three straight 1-1 draws have left the new-look Light Blues already six points behind Celtic, and last night’s humiliating 6-0 battering by Club Brugge has torched whatever glimpses of goodwill Martin had left from the support.

Now, with the first Old Firm showdown of the season looming on Sunday, supporters are dreading what could be another dark day in a nightmare start.

Celtic may have their own problems after a Champions League flop against Kairat Almaty, but Brendan Rodgers and his side be licking their lips at the chance to heap more misery on their oldest rivals and regain some favour amongst their own disgruntled support.

Rangers need answers fast. The big-name bosses have been snapped up, meaning the board may have to roll the dice on candidates they’d never have considered in calmer times.

Here are five men who could be waiting by the phone if Russell Martin is sent packing.

Barry Ferguson

Took charge of affairs at the end of last season after the sacking of Philippe Clement, Ferguson was never shy in saying he wanted the job permanently.

While he may have felt slighted that Martin got the nod ahead of him, the former captain’s loyalty to the badge can’t be questioned.

His brief stint as caretaker was steady if unspectacular, but he brought the best out of Nico Raskin, who has since vanished from Martin’s plans. Joe Rothwell is crying out for a lift, and Lyall Cameron could be moulded into Ferguson’s image if coached by the man himself.

Add in the fact he’s unbeaten against Celtic as a boss,  including a shock win at Parkhead, and it’s easy to see why his name is back in the mix.

Marco Rose

Linked with the job early in the summer, the German tactician is without a club after leaving RB Leipzig in March, and his availability has alerted a number of suitors across Europe.

Rose is known for his sharp pressing game and ability to shape young players into elite performers, something Rangers badly need after a stuttering summer rebuild that has seen the side look slow, pedantic and disinterested.

The sticking point? His wages. Rose won’t come cheap, and whether this new Ibrox board has the gumption for a continental gamble remains to be seen.

But landing him would send a statement that Rangers are still a heavyweight name in European football, despite last night’s result looking contrary to that belief.

Jose Mourinho

He’s the biggest name that could potentially be on the market but could the Special One really rock up in Govan?

Jose looks set to depart Fenerbahçe, this week after coming under pressure, and while his trophy cabinet speaks for itself, the fiery Portuguese would come with baggage, and a wage packet that would dwarf anything Rangers have ever offered a manager.

Yet stranger things have happened in football. Mourinho loves a project steeped in history and passion, and the thought of him standing in the Ibrox dugout for an Old Firm debut is enough to make fans dream.

Mourinho already praised the Ibrox support when he witnessed his Fenerbahçe side lose to Ferguson’s Rangers on penalties in their UEFA Europa League clash last season.

It’s a long shot, but it would also be a real statement of intent from the new board.

Billy Davies:

Now back on the grass as technical head coach at Morton, Billy Davies has quietly stepped back into the game and could be a shock name in the frame if Rangers rip things up.

The no-nonsense Scot is famed for his ability to light a fire of belief under players, exactly what the current Ibrox squad is crying out for.

A proven man-manager who knows Scottish football inside out from his time with Motherwell, Davies showed at Derby and Nottingham Forest that he can take squads far beyond their paper worth, famously hauling a rag-tag Rams side from the Championship basement all the way to the Premier League. He also had a successful spell at Preston North End and a pair of positive stints at Forest.

He’s even had a recent taste of frontline management, stepping in to lead Morton against Dunfermline earlier this year, going toe-to-toe with ex-Celtic boss Neil Lennon.

Not many fans had Davies on their radar, but with safe bets thin on the ground, could the wildcard be the one to drag Rangers out of their predicament.

Sold off at the start of the Greame Souness revolution as a player, could Davies be the man to kick start the newest era of success at Ibrox?

Kevin Muscat

A former Ibrox defensive enforcer, Muscat has made waves as a coach in Japan and Australia, building on Ange Postecoglou’s blueprint at Yokohama F. Marinos.

His high-energy, attacking football earned admirers, and his Rangers past makes him a natural candidate to restore steel and swagger to the squad.

Now managing in China, the former Millwall hard man would bring a steel and grit to a dressing room full of players eager for excuses and someone else to blame. Discipline and hard work would be the orders of a day for a squad guilty of coasting and switching off.

With the Chinese Super League still ongoing, and Muscat attempting to defend his league title, it may be hard to sway him to Scotland, especially after he was overlooked for Phillipe Clement a few years previous.

As a player Muscat was never trusted to feature in and Old Firm match, could we see him debut as a boss in the very fixture he was excluded from as a player?

Muscat has never hidden his ambition to return to Europe, and a tilt at the Ibrox hot seat could be his perfect entry point. But would the fans buy into a disciple of Postecoglou. the man who masterminded the start of Celtic’s recent dominance?