Steven Davis has been announced as interim Rangers manager following the dismissal of Michael Beale.

Beale was sacked on Sunday evening after 10 months in the job following a disastrous start to the season. The 43-year-old oversaw a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aberdeen on Saturday afternoon, a result that would ultimately cost him his job.

Beale leaves Rangers seven points behind Celtic at the top of the table after seven league matches. The former Ibrox coach and QPR manager, who succeeded Giovanni van Bronckhorst late last year, suffered costly defeats against Kilmarnock, PSV and Celtic earlier this season. 

After a summer in which Beale was handed the tools and the time to 'rebuild' the Rangers first-team squad, it was a start that fell well below expectation. A number of key new signings have failed to live up to early expectations and any notion that a corner had been turned following Wednesday's win over Livingston in midweek was proven false by the convincing defeat against Aberdeen.

Davis, 38, has enjoyed two hugely successful spells at the club and will take charge of the interim management team with matches against Aris Limassol and St Mirren to come next week.

The interim management team will consist of former Rangers player and hugely experienced coach Alex Rae, former Rangers player and current coach Steven Smith, coach Brian Gilmour, and goalkeeping coach, Colin Stewart.

Chairman John Bennett said that the interim management team will "remain in charge for as long as it takes to make the right appointment.”

“I’d like to thank Michael for his dedicated work since he re-joined the club as manager last November," he said.

“It is clear that results have fallen well short of the board’s, Michael’s and our supporters’ expectations.

“The search process for the new manager is already underway. I wish Steven Davis and the interim management team every success."