A former Newcastle United player has officially joined Russell Martin’s coaching team at Scottish Premiership side Rangers just months after he was sacked by a League Two side.
Despite having a long list of legendary players who should have gone on to have great careers off the pitch, there has been a severe lack of former Newcastle United stars moving into management at the end of their playing days.
While that is the case, there have been a few exceptions to that fact. Kevin Nolan became Northampton manager in early 2025, helping them stay in League One in the final few months of the season.
More recently, former Newcastle midfielder Emre Belozoglu was interviewed for the vacant Hull City job, but ended up missing out on his chance to return to England.
Elsewhere, former Toon goalkeeper Rob Elliot found success with Gateshead before being sacked as manager of League One side Crawley Town. Now, after being sacked by a League Two side last season, another former Newcastle player has joined Russell Martin at Rangers in a more laid-back coaching capacity.
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Former Newcastle defender Mike Williamson joins Rangers as a first-team coach
At 41, Mike Williamson is undoubtedly only at the beginning of his coaching career. The former defender made 150 appearances for the Magpies but became known in the lower leagues of English football for his impressive and entertaining football, which pushed Gateshead towards the top of the National League in 2023.
However, Williamson jumped ship to MK Dons in October that same year, helping them reach the play-offs. They lost out in the semi-finals, and things did not go well for him at the beginning of the next season. In September 2024, Williamson was appointed Carlisle’s Head coach, but his time there was a disaster.
Williamson signed former Newcastle man Paul Dummett on a short-term deal but only got to use him once as he got injured just a few minutes into his debut. In February 2025, Williamson was sacked by Carlisle after just five wins in 25 games.
Now, it has been confirmed that the former Newcastle man has been appointed as a first-team coach at Rangers. The defender plays a similar style of football to Martin’s methodical, slower approach – his appointment is a perfect one for Rangers.
Mike Williamson’s Newcastle United statistics as former defender makes Rangers move
After dipping his toes into management, Williamson may prefer working as a coach rather than the boss to keep the limelight off him. However, he could also see the Rangers’ role as a stopgap for a bigger move in the future.
In the meantime, he is committed to the Scottish giants as they try to recapture the glory they once had in the Premiership. Martin has a huge task of toppling Celtic off the top of the league table, something only Steven Gerrard has done in recent years. However, the former Southampton boss will be very motivated to win the league and bring glory back to the blue side of Glasgow.
| Newcastle United statistics | Mike Williamson |
| Appearances | 171 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Clean sheets | 33* |
| Goals conceded | 171 |
Williamson spent an impressive six years with the Magpies, joining in the Championship under Chris Hughton in January 2010. His efforts helped Newcastle return to the Premier League and stay in the top flight for the next five years before their relegation in 2016.
The defender joined Wolves at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, before joining Oxford United and finally Gateshead, where he ended his playing career.
Commonly referred to as “Iron Mike”, Newcastle fans will be hoping he can be a success in his new role.
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