It's not the first time Steven Gerrard ’s name has been linked with a big job down south.
But perhaps it IS the first time the pieces appear to fit as Aston Villa cast an admiring eye Govan way for a successor to Dean Smith.
Few expect Gerrard to walk straight into his dream job at Liverpool from Rangers.
But should he head to Birmingham and, just as he’s done at Ibrox, shake a big club from their slumber with a transfer kitty which would far outweigh anything on offer in Scotland then he’d be reaching next level territory.
Those in the know insist Villa chief Christian Purslow is a big admirer of Gerrard.
And Gers fans are sure to be bracing themselves that little bit more tightly seeing their gaffer at the top of the bookies’ list to take over at Villa Park.
Certainly the decision-makers at the top of the marble staircase on Edmiston Drive will already be contemplating what is as important a managerial decision as Rangers have ever faced.
They’ll not have been doing their job if a succession plan hasn’t already been pencilled in.
Perhaps ‘succession’ is the wrong phrase because Rangers can likely forget about looking inside for the next boss such as when Walter Smith replaced Graeme Souness 30 years ago.
If and when Gerrard does move on it’s almost a certainty he’ll take those closest to him along for the ride.
He’d be daft not to given the success of the well-oiled management machine that sees assistant Gary McAllister balance the tough taskmaster in Gerrard while Michael Beale, Jordan Milsom and Tom Culshaw provide the expertise on which the big decisions are made.
Losing the full team would only make a massive managerial decision gargantuan.
One wrong step and everything Gerrard has built at Ibrox come crashing down.
On the flip-side, if and when Gerrard moves on, keeping things as closely tuned to his blueprint could make the transition seamless.
Someone who knows the club, the league and the players at their disposal.
It might be a notion too difficult for some Gers fans or even those inside the club to accept given his controversial snub of the top job four years ago but Derek McInnes’ name would surely have to be among the candidates.
Even just listening to the former Aberdeen boss in punditry mode at Ibrox on European nights proves he understands the mechanics of what has worked and what hasn’t for Gerrard.
McInnes certainly got a close enough view of it for three years.
Likely to get a warmer reaction from the Light Blues’ faithful would be an ambitious move to bring one of the De Boer brothers back to Ibrox and with Ronald currently assistant boss in the footballer production line at Ajax Youth, it would mirror Gerrard’s own step up from Melwood in many ways.
Predictably the staunch calls would be for a Souness-esque father figure to take over.
It might all seem a little rhetorical and Gerrard could well remain in place until the end of his current Ibrox deal in 2024. But the Ibrox top brass would be negligent if they weren’t covering all eventualities right now. And they will be.
When Brendan Rodgers left his throne at Parkhead for the King Power almost four years ago, Celtic’s succession strategy was thrust under the spotlight.
Neil Lennon delivered history with a quadruple treble. But, harsh as it might be on the Northern Irishman, Hoops fans weren’t convinced enough thought went into who succeeded Rodgers.
Lennon was the fall guy for the 10-in-a-Row dream collapsing while the Parkhead powerbrokers were accused of sleeping at the wheel.
Rangers are hardly in the position of power the Hoops were back in March 2018.
If Gerrard was to suddenly walk away then the decision for who fills his shoes would perhaps be even more important than the brave choice to appoint him in the first place.
