Rangers’ hunt for a new CEO and chairman remains the subject of great controversy.
The Ibrox side have been without an executive director since pre-season, James Bisgrove jumping ship to Saudi Arabia before the Copland Road stand delay rocked the club.
Chairman John Bennett then stepped in, but the impact of leading Rangers has taken it’s toll with bluenose investor Bennett now taking a step back on doctor’s orders.
John Gilligan has since stepped in on an interim basis, with ex-chairman Dave King’s public pleas to return to the club falling on deaf ears.
Throw in the fact Rangers are yet to replace academy director Zeb Jacobs – who left for Feyenoord only a year into his role – and the entire hierarchy of Rangers is devoid of leadership.
Despite that, the latest news coming out of Ibrox suggests change is a long way off in the distance just yet with no appointments expected until next year.
Rangers ‘won’t have CEO’ by January
Herald & Times journalist Chris Jack has a close link to the Rangers board and has been discussing the situation via the Rangers Review.
Jack believes that the Ibrox hierarchy are set to take their time over the appointment of both the CEO and the chairman, with outside help being recruited to help build a list of candidates.
With the chief executive role more pressing – a committed Giligan in situ for as long as necessary – Jack believes it could be next year before we see any movement.
In a quite remarkable revelation, Jack claims that ‘there is every chance that Rangers now won’t have a chief executive in place before the January window opens’.
Following the collapse of an unpopular move for St Mirren-linked Jim Gillespie, Jack believes that a quick fix is ‘unrealistic’ with the process ‘never going to be a quick and easy one’.
The journalist goes on to claim that Gillian and fellow investor George Latham have ‘gone back to the drawing board’ over the appointment with all the club’s boardroom investors set to be involved in the recruitment process.
It is also clear that Rangers ‘will not appoint from within’ as fears begin to grow about the state of the club amongst Rangers fans.
Can Rangers Board be trusted to rebuild Ibrox hierarchy?
The Rangers board have got a lot to answer for.
Despite backing the club to the top of the Scottish Premiership and a European final, Rangers have allowed a substantial playing and financial gap to open up between themselves and Old Firm rivals Celtic.
Given the Parkhead side are the only realistic challengers for the title, and that Rangers are the only club in a position to challenge them, through endemic failure the custodians at Ibrox have thus surrendered complete domestic dominance to them.
This is a monumental failure of leadership and, given Rangers don’t appear to be in a position to appoint a chief exec until 2025, there’s a growing feeling this flailing board are about to condemn the season.
The scale of the club’s recent failures in the transfer market and off the park – where Dave King believes Douglas Park vetoed substantial US investment – has sent the club back years.
The news that Rangers are back to square one in their attempts to rebuild the blatantly non-existent corporate hierarchy should be devastating to Ibrox fans.
This is a problem which isn’t going anywhere and – so long as Philippe Clement can work miracles on the pitch – the board will remain out of the spotlight.
But if the Ibrox shareholders genuinely believe they have four months to find a CEO then we’re more doomed than many of us could’ve ever imagined.
Especially if things start to go south on the park, as they well might, with Philippe Clement working through a dramatic period of downsizing and operating on a shoestring budget.
In true Rangers style, whoever comes will be afforded time to get comfortable and assess the damage before being given even more time to (hopefully) implement change.
There is no pressure on all of this and we’re being led to believe that whoever comes in will be some kind of Ibrox messiah, here to salvage the club from the ruins of this regime’s leadership.
It’s nonsense. We need someone in to stabilise the situation, provide leadership, and build a clear, defined structure as to how we will be run.
The line that Rangers’ search is so extensive if could take another six months is insulting to the intelligence of supporters.
There is no guarantee over anyone. We’re not signing Cristiano Ronaldo in his prime to come in and score goals. The constant hot air around this is demeaning and is only serving to heap pressure on the appointment.
Do your due diligence of course, but surely it is fair to suggest we get the appointment done quickly and start building forward with everything still to play for this season.
We are anything but a well run club and on the current trajectory, Celtic are headed for another nine in a row. That is at the feet of this current board.
Rangers’ squad is quite clearly underprepared for the rigours of a challenging domestic season against a better-equipped Celtic who have all the momentum.
Throw in the potential impact of a challenging Europa League draw and suddenly holding it together on the park this campaign is the only thing which will hold off a full-scale revolt at Ibrox.
Beyond even that, apathetic fans sick and tired of ploughing their hard earned cash into the club for such paltry rewards are very much on the verge of switching off completely.
And who can blame them.
