Rangers took another step towards recovery with an impressive Premier Sports Cup win over Dundee to take attention away from the issues off the pitch – for now.
Philippe Clement will be happy with what he saw but will be looking for interim chairman John Gilligan to start dealing with the many vacancies that would make his job easier if they were filled.
There aren’t many names in the public conscious in terms of possible contenders, however, Rangers could do a lot worse than to pick up the phone to a few individuals who know only too well what it takes to be a success at Ibrox.
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How Rangers could fill key roles with familiar faces
According to journalist Chris Jack, Rangers aren’t prioritising either the academy director or sporting director posts.
The latter has been vacant since Ross Wilson left with two separate posts of recruitment director and football operations director being created instead.
It would be a surprise if a competent CEO doesn’t reinstall the position to oversee both roles with no real structure for how the academy and first team should fit in terms of playing style.
Here are the former individuals employed by Rangers who could return to take the club forward.
Mark Warburton – Academy Director
As a former Rangers manager who had aspirations of Rangers playing attractive, possession-based football, Mark Warburton has a wealth of experience.
His time at the club ended under a cloud that has never really been clarified, although the former boss is adamant that he would never have resigned.
After helping David Moyes lead West Ham United to the Europa Conference League title, Warburton is currently out of work.
Having worked his way from the ground up at Watford, the ex-London city broker became academy manager at the Championship outfit.
Warburton left this role to join Brentford where he eventually became sporting director.
He knows how an academy should be run and the demands of being a Rangers, he also wants football to be played the “right way” rather than just for success, a trait essential for player development.
David Weir – Sporting Director
Whatever it costs.
Since retiring from his playing days after a successful and trophy laden career at Rangers, Weir has gradually worked his way up the ladder.
With experience as a manager, assistant manager and scout at Championship and Premier League level, the former skipper set up home at Brighton at one of the best run clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.
Starting as a loan manager, Weir progressed from technical assistant to technical director.
If Rangers want best in class, Weir should be top of the list of possible targets.
A more affordable option could be another ex-centre-half in the shape of Craig Moore.
Carlos Bocanegra – CEO
A bit from left-field, however, there is logic to this with Rangers hoping to make an appointment soon.
The former Light Blues captain helped to build Atlanta United into MLS trophy winners, almost from the ground up.
He has in-depth knowledge and experience of the football aspect of elite level of football.
What might not be as well known, is that Bocanegra is also well versed in the ways of the boardroom having been a vice president at Atlanta since 2017 before leaving the club this summer.
The CEO has support from the commerical and marketing departments and should be able to rely on them to get the best deal for the club in terms of revenue which would free up the role to prioritise what really counts – on the pitch.
With a CEO who is concerned with the output at 3pm on a Saturday, the club would be ran for the fans, rather than the boardroom.
All these positions have been vacant since before the end of last season, at least, John Giligan has inherited as big a task as any chairman other than Dave King has ever faced and he has to get the big decisions right.
