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Rangers news as boardroom twist needed for power in Hampden Park
Rangers’ incoming chief executive officer James Bisgrove has been backed to make the necessary changes to improve the club’s standing in Scottish football including its status within the SPFL, following his press appearances this week.
Bisgrove spoke in a feature-length interview on Rangers TV on Thursday then faced the media at the pre-Aberdeen press conference on Friday.
The 38-year old has been the head of commercial and marketing at Ibrox, but in his new role, he will replace existing managing director Stewart Robertson, as of 31 July 2023.
In his column for the Scottish Daily Mail [20 May, Page 115], Stephen McGowan indicated that the early pledges from Bisgrove indicate that he is on the right track to deliver a better outcome for the Gers.
“It’s early days. But new Rangers chief executive James Bisgrove is making all the right noises,” he said.
“Stewart Robertson’s replacement wants to establish the Ibrox club as the dominant force in Scottish football. To wield power and influence on the sixth floor of Hampden, Rangers need two things. Friends and allies in their corner. And grown-ups in the boardroom.
“Bisgrove’s words suggest the Ibrox club are now ready to play a constructive role in making Scottish football a better place. Amen to that.”
Finding the right balance
With the new Rangers regime now finding its feet, the club staged a photocall on Thursday to deliver a united front between chairman John Bennett, Bisgrove and the manager, Michael Beale.
It is known that the three share a close working relationship and given that they are said to be aligned, a lot of responsibility lies with them in the coming season, to get things right on and off the pitch.
Rangers can’t afford to be playing second fiddle for another campaign first team matters being underpinned by the decisions made in the boardroom.
As indicated above, Bisgrove will want to show that he is his own man with the club taking a different direction in some ways from this point but there will not be a total reset of relations with the SPFL, and nor should there be.
Rangers have been right to highlight the underselling of the Scottish game and the underwhelming TV deal in particular. Amends can be made, but reconciliation is a two-way street.
In other Rangers news, the club is using a head-hunting group to make a key new appointment at Ibrox.