Credit: Imago].

Zak Anderton

Thu 20 February 2025 16:40, UK

Patrick Stewart may have an ideal chance to win Rangers fans over after the latest takeover news to have emerged from Ibrox.

Stewart’s time with Rangers has been questioned by some due to his decision to stick by Philippe Clement despite the poor results on the pitch.

However, now that they have been linked with a takeover from the 49ers Enterprises, who also own English Championship side Leeds United, he has the perfect chance to get some of the fanbase on board.

Leeds’ chairman Paraag Marathe is the man leading the charge for the potential takeover and it’s also been reported that Dave King is looking to sell on his stake in the Ibrox outfit.

Nothing is set in stone just yet but at the moment, things seem to be on course for the Rangers takeover to be completed imminently.

Patrick Stewart could win Rangers fans back by bringing in the 49ers

For the past few seasons, Rangers have been in the shadows of their arch-rivals Celtic due to the lack of money they’ve earned compared to the Bhoys.

Takeover talks have been rumbling on at Ibrox for as long as many can remember with Barry Ferguson believing that “fresh investment” is one of the main things that Stewart needs to tackle in his role as chairman.

And, if he does so effectively, it could result in the former Manchester United CEO being more well-received by fans of the Govan-based outfit after his rocky start.

“You need to have buyers but never more than now, Rangers need change, a major change,” Paul Cooney said on the Go Radio Football Show (19 February).

To which Ferguson replied: “It’s clear Paul, it’s as clear as day that there has to be fresh investment coming in.

“I think that’s one of the biggest jobs of the new chairman and the chief executive to make sure that’s the case going forward.”

The 49ers Enterprises could be exactly what the Ibrox outfit needs

Even though Clement has managed to take Rangers on a stellar run in the Europa League, it still feels like the Gers have left a lot to be desired domestically.

At the moment, they’re 13 points adrift of first-placed Celtic and they were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Queen’s Park after a 1-0 defeat, meaning the only competitions that they have going for them now are the Scottish Premiership and the Europa League.

Which if we’re being honest, are likely already too far out of reach for Rangers to obtain even though the season isn’t yet over.

Rangers may have been in industrious form against the likes of Nice and Union Saint-Gilloise in their wins but as you get into the latter stages of any competition, the opponents get tougher and teams try an awful lot harder.

If the 49ers do come in, it could be the start of a new era for the Govan-based outfit and we could finally see what they’re capable of once they have a similar amount of money to their arch-rivals.

And for Stewart, helping to bring in new investment could be exactly the shot in the arm his tenure as director of football needs at Ibrox.