Patrick Stewart launches ‘external review’ at Rangers as US company comes on board
Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart has had plenty on his plate since arriving at Ibrox to succeed James Bisgrove in December.
Stewart’s in-tray was a sizeable one upon his appointment as Rangers’ new chief executive, with the club having spent the best part of seven months without one after Bisgrove’s exit last May.
As a result, and as a result of joining mid-season, Stewart has already had all manner of issues to deal with off the field, as the Light Blues and manager Philippe Clement continue to sputter along on it.
Clement’s job is – or at least should be – hanging by a thread in the eyes of Gers fans after Sunday’s Scottish Cup defeat to Queen’s Park, with scrutiny turning towards the board for their lack of action.
Rangers review launched as Patrick Stewart calls in assistance
In a meeting with the Rangers Fan Advisory Board on 5 February – prior to the Queen’s Park debacle – Stewart said while he’s leading a new review, US-based firm Sportsology are providing external support.
The Fan Advisory Board released in their statement of the meeting on 13 February that Sportsology are focusing on “the footballing side of the club”, which are being prioritised over other Stewart-led aspects.
Stewart and the leadership team will review other areas of operations alongside an “all encompassing” football review, with a view to ensuring that the Light Blues’ performance is “befitting of an elite club”.
Rangers need more than a review to turn things around
Looking up and down the current state of Rangers – from the top to the very bottom – it’s hard to find a single area which isn’t in desperate need of significant improvement, and that can’t come soon enough.
Stewart hasn’t had much time to make wholesale changes at Ibrox since arriving late last year, and having reiterated in the same meeting that the board retain faith in Clement, fans are growing impatient.
Alarm bells may also ring amongst the fanbase in the knowledge that their CEO – brought in to fix an ailing football club – won’t be leading the footballing side of a review designed to fix said football club.
Instead, a US-based company – who won’t have come on board without a decent pay packet – will overlook that side of the review, surely leaving fans confused as to the direction their club is taking.
Some supporters may welcome the outside influence of a new voice making decisions given the lack of impact made by those in-house, but given an exterior recruitment agency landed them with Stewart, Sportsology coming on board suggests that Ibrox decision-makers are once again passing the buck.