‘I rejected offer to be Rangers chief executive’ – Big name spills the beans after fiasco
Rangers need to prioritise experience when appointing their next chief executive and sporting director.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen and Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who states that the Rangers ownership must make the right appointment for the two important roles.
Rangers have confirmed that Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell have left the club, with their appointments as chief executive and sporting director officially terminated.
Stewart and Thelwell were at the front of Rangers unrest at Ibrox, in what was deemed a factor in their sackings.
Rangers destabilised after double firing
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Stewart and Thelwell’s communication with supporters was part of their downfall.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insists Rangers now need to make an experienced appointment.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Now it’s going be important to make the right decision as to who’s going to go in there.
“It’s very rare to see a CEO and a sporting director sacked on the same day. Normally you try and not destabilise the whole club. You try and maybe do one after another at different times.
“But I think what they’ve learnt and I think the downfall for both of them probably was their strength of personality and the way that they handled the media and the communication with the fans. I don’t think Patrick Stewart was a great communicator. I don’t think he had the strength of personality. And I don’t think Kevin Thelwell did the same either.
“So I think if you’re going to be chief executive of Rangers, and I was asked quite a long time ago and I did turn it down, then I would say you’ve got to be a very forthright, strong personality and really understand the rough and tumble of Glasgow.
“And as a sporting director, you’ve got to have more than just a level of understanding of the Premier League, which is what Thelwell had. I think you’ve got to be a bit broader and more experienced than that. And I think I’d want somebody a little bit older.”
Key January transfer window looming for Rangers
The sackings of Stewart and Thelwell could have been to protect the Rangers ownership, as the pair could have left the club before the season began.
With the January transfer window just a month away, Rangers need to make two swift appointments that are right for the club.
Danny Rohl will want to be backed by the board as the club’s on-pitch struggles continued with a 0-0 draw against Falkirk last time out.