Man United and Rangers slammed over Ibrox move amid ‘torrid’ Clement verdict
Simon Jordan has scoffed at whether Patrick Stewart is the right appointment to be the new CEO of Rangers, after his spell at Man United.
The Gers have been looking for a new CEO and chairman since James Bisgrove and John Bennett left those respective roles last season and in the summer.
John Gilligan has stepped in as chairman on an interim basis but now Stewart is set to take over permanent CEO, with Malcolm Offord arriving as chairman.
They will be stepping into a tough situation at Ibrox, with Philippe Clement’s side currently third in the Scottish Premiership table, 11 points behind leaders Celtic, and eight adrift of second place Aberdeen, amid major pressure on the Belgian manager.
Stewart first joined Man United in 2006, and took over as interim CEO in November last year, before leaving in the summer, but given the situation the Red Devils are in, Jordan questioned whether this will be the right appointment for Rangers, after giving his verdict live on talkSPORT.
As the former Crystal Palace chairman reacted live to talk about the new arrival (25 November, 10.06am) Jim White asked: “Why are you screwing up your face?”
Jordan replied: “Well I’m screwing my face, at this moment in time I don’t really think that Man United are the blueprint for successful off-the-field activity, do you?
“It might be better than nothing.”
After White praised “lovely fella” Gilligan, a man he knows well, he shared the view from on high at Ibrox that Stewart is a “very exciting appointment” Jordan continued.
“How that will affect the material opportunities on the field is a different discussion. Whether that bodes well for the incumbent manager, who seems to be going through a particularly torrid time at this moment in time, we will see.
“But it certainly alleviates the observation that they’re rudderless. Now, whether he is a good oarsman we will see.”
Patrick Stewart appointment may be a risk worth taking for Rangers
Football Insider Opinion
The point that Jordan is making here does look an understandable one when you consider how things have gone at Man United for some time.
In recent years, they are an example of a major club who have been run poorly in so many ways, and are now paying for that with results on the pitch as Ruben Amorim has just kicked off the sixth new management reign since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
There are already signs that Rangers could be at risk of going in a similar direction, given where they currently sit in the Scottish Premiership.
Bringing in someone like Stewart, who was unable to turn things around at Man United, may not guarantee more success, but at least fills the vacuum.
After several months where they have been badly lacking in the manpower behind-the-scenes, these new appointments do at least give the club that.
It can therefore be hoped that with more figures to take on the workload, more attention can be given to each issue that needs addressing, which could lead to improvements.
If it does not, then the struggles for Rangers could continue, and while the pressure on Clement to get results will only get worse if the overall situation in Govan doesn’t start moving in the right direction.
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