By Anthony Evans

Copyright dailyrecord

Botafogo have no plans to sack former Rangers managerial target Davide Ancelotti – according to a report. The Italian coach – son of legendary boss Carlo – was interviewed for the vacancy at Ibrox last summer before Russell Martin was appointed but left his role as Real Madrid’s number two to start as a manager in his own right in the Brazilian top-flight. Ancelotti got off to a positive start in the role with just one defeat from his first nine matches but is now facing calls from supporters to be removed following their exit to to Vasca da Gama in the Copa do Brasil and disappointing league results against Sao Paolo and Mirassol. It coincides with Martin’s on-going battle to keep his job in Govan, with a disastrous run of five Premiership games without a victory leaving Gers sitting 10th in the table. Fans are calling for his head in their droves and are planning a protest at Ibrox before kick-off in Saturday’s huge Premier Sports Cup quarter final clash at home to Hibernian, with chairman and 49ers Enterprises chief Andrew Cavenagh jetting into Glasgow to take control of the situation. The Ibrox hierachy continue to back their man but Record Sport has learned that the club are already exploring alternatives in the background should they decide to pull the trigger . But reports coming out of South America claim that Ancelotti’s status in the dugout at Botafogo is under no immediate threat. Brazilian outlet RTI Esporte report that the 36-year-old retains the faith of majority owner John Textor and that the American business tycoon – who also owns Lyon in Ligue 1 and recently relinquished his control of Premier League side Crystal Palace – sees his manager’s position as ‘untouchable’. They add that the club fully intend for Ancelotti to see out his contract – which runs until the end of 2026 – and that they are already working with the Italian to improve the squad ahead of next season. Ancelotti himself recently expressed his desire to reverse his fortunes at Botafogo despite the fan fury. He said: “We still have 17 games left in the Brasileirão, and we have to start reacting today. “We have to keep improving, playing well, and in the Brasileirão we have opportunities to finish the season strong. “Now we don’t have to think about the title, we have to think about today’s game and react, which will be very important to demonstrate our unity at this moment. “(It will only change) With results, not words. “With results, winning games and playing well, I can’t do anything else. I have to work on how the team played in the first half, playing the full 90 minutes. “Playing well, the fans will believe in this team again. If they play like they did in the second half, I can understand the fans.”