Former Ibrox midfielder and current Kelty Hearts boss Kevin Thomson has admitted that it’s his ‘ambition’ to one day become Rangers manager [Daily Record].
Thomson won five major honours as a player at Ibrox between 2007 and 2010 and returned to the club several seasons ago as an age-group coach, before later being promoted to B team manager.
The popular 36-year-old opted to give up that position earlier this summer in order to take over from Barry Ferguson as Kelty boss and is currently preparing for their first-ever SPFL fixture on Saturday.
However, he has hopes to return to Ibrox one day to take on the role currently occupied by Steven Gerrard.
“I left with a heavy heart – but I’ve left before when I was a player, moving down to Middlesbrough, which never worked out for me, and I got an opportunity to go back,” he said [Daily Record] “Hopefully this time, it will work out for me and you never know, I might be back one day.”
“That’s my ambition. I was like that as a player. I wanted to play at the highest level I possibly could, to win trophies and work with the best players and under the best managers.
“I achieved all that at Rangers. I’m the same as a manager.”
Thomson has made a promising start to his time at New Central Park, with his team winning two of their first three Premier Sports Cup group stage matches only to throw away a two-goal lead at Championship club Arbroath with qualification for the knockout stages beckoning.
He clearly views his role at Kelty as the start of a career in management rather than a one-off job and his ambition to land the top gig at Rangers one day is commendable.
At 36, he’s still very young for a manager and unlike Gerrard, he doesn’t have the kind of profile that will land him big roles without first working his way up through the leagues.
A great relationship with Rangers will help, but Thomson has years of graft ahead of him if he’s to eventually become a genuine candidate for the Ibrox hot seat.
Meanwhile, a former Rangers player who is several years Thomson’s senior is reportedly set for a move to Italy after a deal elsewhere was ripped up just 20 days in.
