Rangers aren’t just standing still under John Gilligan’s stewardship, they are drifting even further behind Celtic, off the pitch at least.
To move forward, the key roles that currently lie vacant must be filled and filled with elite level operators with a proven track record, not just people familiar to the Ibrox board.
The most important role, arguably, is that of CEO. A position that has been unoccupied since the end of last season with no sign of an imminent arrival, however, Rangers would be able to function if Ross Wilson had been properly replaced as sporting director, as the departure of Creag Robertson proves.
Three jobs for the next Rangers sporting director
Technically, there is now nobody running the football department.
Nils Koppen is responsible for recruitment, but alongside the manager Philippe Clement, they can’t be expected to oversee the medical and academy directorates too.
This is why the new CEO should reinstate an overseeing director position rather than just a head of football operations with these pressing concerns the jobs that need addressed as soon as possible.
Appoint a head of academy
As with James Bisgrove, it is mind blowing that a club of Rangers size didn’t already have a possible list of replacements for Zeb Jacobs.
The lack of direction at Auchenhowie for Rangers most promising youngsters is frightening with the easy comparison being between Lennon Miller and Bailey Rice.
The latter is playing glorified friendlies whilst the former is on 50 senior appearances and pushing for a playing in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad.
A head of academy with a proven track record at a club of promoting youngsters through the ranks and into the first team must be a priority.
In the long run, having the right person in the role can save the club millions.
Improve communication
What direction are Rangers going in terms of strategy?
Is the academy following similar training programmes so that when they step up to the first team they know exactly what the demands of their position are.
Have the injury problems been addressed in terms of policies, facilities and staff so that Clement has the best players available more often?
In short, what is the plan?
Rangers fans know that Philippe Clement has been backed with a new contract and that there is a new player trading model being implemented, other than that, fans are largely in the dark.
Contingency planning
The whole point of having a sporting director or director of football is so that nothing stands still.
Theoretically, if they are doing their job right, they should also have replacements for their own job on a shortlist.
Rangers should constantly be in contact with other academy heads or recruitment directors and taking note of individuals who impress.
Positions shouldn’t be vacant for months on end with no idea of when appointments will be made.
Gilligan is inexperienced in terms of running a football club and now needs to make several key decisions.
The negligence of previous office bearers have left him with a lot of work to do, work that could have been avoided.
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