Sometimes football clubs say that they are in transition, it couldn’t be more obvious that Rangers definitely are.
A new CEO, a new chairman, Kevin Thelwell has been appointed as sporting director, a new permanent Rangers manager will be appointed in the summer and there will be another squad overhaul.
Five players are out of contract, others simply aren’t good enough, with the Rangers squad needing work all over the park – quality and quantity.
Rangers have been directionless for too long since winning the league in 2020/21 and it is Thewell’s job to get them back on track.
Speaking to on the Training Ground Guru podcast when he was in a similar role at Everton, it is easy to see why Rangers swooped for the former Wolves and New York Red Bulls director.
Kevin Thelwell could be the man to fix Rangers philosophy
One of the criticisms since Steven Gerrard left Rangers, is that there is no obvious style of play in terms of control in and out of possession.
The step up from the Rangers academy to the first team is also made more difficult too with no discernable similarities in terms of how the age group teams play.
One of Thelwell’s tasks will be to put this right:
“How we play, well, again, it’s about very clear football philosophy, very clear game model. It’s about saying, what do we expect our teams to do when they’ve got the ball, when they haven’t got the ball, when they’re transitioning to one or the other,” Thewell said of Everton’s philosophy.
“You know, where we really wanna get to is, we wanna get to a spot where people are able to go to any pitch and regardless of color on the shirt, they’re able to pick out the Everton team, you know, and for there to be some synergy between what happens at different age groups.”
How Rangers style change can benefit the academy
Put it another way, how can a defensive midfield progress from the B or Under-18 team to the first team if he is playing in a double pivot and the first team is playing with a three-man midfield?
Of course, they should be able to adapt if they are good enough, but there should be consistent roles throughout the club with a repeatable game plan.
Look at Findlay Curtis this season as an example.
He has scored goals for fun at age group level as a winger/forward, then Barry Ferguson played him as a wing-back at Pittodrie.
Curtis did well but at least give the young players a chance.
Every youth player should be able to step up into the first team and know that they can play their normal game, regardless of position.
Not only does it benefit the player, but it benefits the managerand the club too. If an academy player can seamlessly slot in, there is no need to spend millions on back up players.
That Rangers haven’t had someone leading this sort of philosophy shows exactly how far behind the curve they have fallen.
