Rangers fans will be hoping to see the back of 2024 with every passing week providing a new problem for Philippe Clement and the support.
This week saw the shock resignation of John Bennett as chairman leaving three key positions vacant including CEO and academy director.
John Gilligan has been announced as the interim chairman and, despite the temporary nature of his appointment, there are three key decisions that he must make alongside his board.
John Gilligan inherits a mess that Rangers need to fix
Two of the key jobs on his to do list were mentioned when Rangers revealed that Bennett was stepping down:
“The Board of Rangers Football Club today announces Chairman, John Bennett, is stepping down with immediate effect for health reasons
“The Board wants to sincerely thank John for his service and significant commitment over the last nine years and wishes him a full and speedy recovery. It is requested his and his family’s privacy is respected at this time.
“Former Director, John Gilligan, will temporarily fulfil the role of Chairman until a permanent replacement is appointed.
“The Board thanks John for stepping in at short notice and believes his experience in senior business roles throughout a long and successful career, and also, as a former Director of Rangers, will be invaluable at this time.
“The Board is undertaking a robust process with the help of professional advisors to fill the roles of CEO and Chairperson. In the meantime, the club’s executive management team will continue to lead the club on a day-to-day basis.”
Three jobs on Gilligan’s to-do list
Appoint a successor to John Bennett
Dave King quickly threw his hat into the ring, however, given the previous friction with current board members and some of his interviews since he stepped down from the chairmanship himself, it is little surprise that he hasn’t been warmly received by those within the corridors of power at Ibrox.
Bennett’s health is the most important factor of all of this, but his resignation means that Rangers don’t have to promote from within.
Find an experienced operator with football experience so that the shambles of this summer becomes a thing of the past.
Appoint a CEO
It sounds simple, but the club has had six months to make this happen.
There should already have been a list of names drawn up.
A list that shouldn’t have included Jim Gillespie given the size of the job at hand and his lack of experience or suitability for the role.
Compare and contrast the St Mirren vice-chairman’s CV with Adrian Bevington’s, who spent 20 years at the FA, and seeing their two names in the same conversation seems bizarre.
Appointing Bevington could be a way for Gilligan to make a positive impression and earn Brownie points with the fans at the same time.
Improve communication with supporters
It took weeks before Bennett spoke to fans in the summer when it was painfully obivous that Ibrox wasn’t going to be ready for the start of the summer.
The same applied to Philippe Clement having to explain that the transfer policy had basically became one in, one out with the main objective being to lower the wage bill.
The job of explaining this in detail should have came from either the CEO or the chairman.
There are a lot of plates being spun just now and Gilligan could do himself and Clement a favour by sitting down and explaining what is going on behind the scenes and what the short, medium and long-term plans are for the club.
Is it too much to ask?