Where are Rangers' 2012/13 fourth tier squad now? Managers, coaches and 40-year-old defenders

The Ibrox side plunged into administration and subsequent liquidation in 2012, and were forced to work their way back to the Scottish Premiership from the fourth tier of league football with a 12-month transfer ban

Rangers' future looked incredibly bleak in 2012 to say the least.

The club were relegated to the fourth tier of Scottish football after administration announced in February that year led to liquidation in October. And to make matters worse, the Glasgow outfit were plagued by a 12 month transfer ban which prevented them from registering new players over the age of 18 until the 2013 summer transfer window came to a close.

As we all know now, Rangers would ultimately bounce back with back to back promotions to the Championship, before finally finding their way back to the Scottish Premiership at the end of the 2015/16 campaign - where they have remained ever since, even clinching the title over Celtic in 2020/21.

But who were the Rangers players who stuck with their side through thick and thin in their first season in the Scottish Third Division back in 2012, and where are they now? Here, Record Sport breaks it down...

Players who have since retired

Given that we're now 12 years on from Rangers being demoted to the fourth tier, a number of players have since hung up their boots altogether. Goalkeeper Neil Alexander played for the likes of Crystal Palace, Aberdeen and Dunfermline before hanging his gloves up in 2022 and going into coaching, where he is now head of goalkeeping at Motherwell, while centre-half Dorin Goian moved onto Asteras Tripoli before moving into management with Foresta Suceava in 2016.

Lee McCulloch moved to Kilmarnock in 2015 before retiring up a year later for a managerial position with the club. He has also went on to work as an assistant manager for Lechia Gdansk, Dundee United and Heart of Midlothian. Carlos Boganegra went on to play for Chivas USA before retiring in 2014, while Ian Black made the move to Shrewsbury Town in 2015, going on to play for Blackpool, Skelmersdale United, Chorley, Tranent and Dunbar United before retiring in 2021.

Centre-forward Andy Little made the move to Preston North End in 2014, subsequently playing for Stirling Albion and Dumbarton before calling it quits in 2018, while centre-mid Lewis Macleod played for the likes of Brentford, Wigan Athletic and Plymouth Argyle, eventually calling time on his career in 2021.

Star striker Kevin Kyle parted ways with the Glasgow outfit in 2013, playing for Ayr United for a year before hanging his boots up in 2014, while left-back Lee Wallace remained at Rangers until 2019. He parted ways with his club of eight years to play for Queens Park Rangers before retiring in 2022. He currently works as an assistant coach with Hearts.

Dean Shiels left Rangers in 2016 to play for Dundalk, bouncing to FC Edmonton, Dunfermline Athletic, Derry City and Coleraine up until 2019. He currently manages the latter.

Those who are still playing

A number of faces from the 2012/13 season are still playing football in 2024. Hard-hitting centre-half Kirk Broadfoot is still going strong with Greenock Morton at the age of 40. Kal Naismith left Rangers in 2013, going on to play for the likes of Accrington Stanley, Portsmouth and Luton Town before arriving at Bristol City in 2022, where he remains a part of Liam Manning's Championship side.

Right-back Sebastian Faure currently plays for FC Limonest in the fifth tier of French football, while Kyle Hutton is crafting his trade at Pollok in the Scottish sixth-tier. Andy Mitchell, meanwhile, plays for NIFL Premiership side Carrick Rangers, while Robbie Crawford plays for USL Championship outfit Charlseton Battery at the age of 31.

Andy Murdoch, who left Rangers in 2016 played for Greenock Morton and Ayr United before making his way to Clyde FC, while Francesco Stella moved to Melbourne Victory in 2013. He has played for Sisaket, Avondale, Central Coast Mariners, Nest Sotra, Port Melbourne and Caroline Springs George Cross since, struggling to find his feet at any team. At the age of 33, Stella currently plays for Upfield SC.

David Templeton, meanwhile, currently plays for Drumchapel United, having played for Hamilton Academical and Burton Albion since parting ways with Rangers in 2016.

EFL fans will be well-acquainted with Barrie McKay, who has played for Nottingham Forest, Swansea City and Fleetwood Town since leaving Rangers in 2017. However, the 29-year-old from Paisley returned to Scotland in 2021, teaming up with Heart of Midlothian where he remains to date.

Other honourable mentions from the 2012/13 season include striker Kane Hemmings - who currently plays for Crewe Alexandra - and centre-forward Danny Stoney, who crafts his trade at Johnstone Burgh FC at the time of writing.

What about the manager?

Ally McCoist played for Rangers between 1983 and 1998 before returning as a manager in 2011. In a brilliant show of loyalty, McCoist stuck with Rangers after their demotion to the Third Division, guiding his side to a first-place finish in the 2012/13 campaign with a whopping 83 points - 24 points clear of second-place Peterhead.

McCoist helped Rangers achieve 25 wins, eight draws and just three losses that season, also taking the side to the fifth-round of the Scottish Cup where they were ultimately ousted by Dundee United 3-0. McCoist stayed on with Rangers until 2014 December 2014, when he was put on garden leave after submitting his notice.

His contract was mutually terminated in September 2015. Rangers is the only club that McCoist has managed over his illustrious career, instead, stepping into the world of football punditry. He has worked with the likes of ESPN, Sky Sports and Amazon Prime Video over the years, and currently works with ITV Sport and TNT Sports.

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