Rangers sent multi-million warning after ‘catastrophic’ developments at Ibrox
Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers are under pressure to hit the ground running at Ibrox this summer.
After a disastrous few seasons for Rangers, the new owners have brought a renewed sense of optimism to Glasgow.
With Russell Martin in place as manager, all the work now is to strengthen his side in preparation for next season in the Scottish Premiership.
However, with just over a month to go until the Gers are back in action in the Champions League, there is already plenty of stress at Ibrox to be prepared in time.
Rangers warned of Champions League importance
Although Philippe Clement’s side competed in the Champions League qualifiers last summer, the fun of the European competition was short-lived.
The Gers lost 2-1 on aggregate across two games against Dynamo Kyiv and while their Europa League run gave supporters something to smile about, watching Celtic run out in the Champions League was a harsh reminder of what could have been.
| Compeition | Progress |
| Scottish Premiership | 2nd in the league |
| Champions League | Out in qualifying |
| Europa League | Quarter-finals |
This time around, Martin has the opportunity to get his Rangers tenure off to a perfect start, although the opponent his side will have to face is yet to be decided.
While there can’t be too much pressure on the new boss, who is yet to make a signing as Gers boss, his side has been warned about how important progression could be.
Speaking on the Rangers Review podcast (14 June), Stevie Clifford said: “It’s up to Kevin Thelwell and it’s up to Russell Martin to make sure that we’re ready for that.
“But if we’re not and we don’t qualify overall. See the £5million extra bonus you get for progressing through the levels? I think you need to go through two stages to get to that level.
“We need to make sure that that happens this year because that was catastrophic last year for the season, for the mood. You know everything that was going on with the stadium and everything like that, so we need to make sure that we don’t fall in that trap.”
Rangers must get going in the transfer market
Expectations must be measured but, as Clifford points out, there is a lot riding on success in the Champions League this season and it isn’t a game that should be taken lightly by the Gers.
There has been plenty of optimism about the incoming takeover at Ibrox, and while business needs to be measured, supporters will certainly be ready to see some movement start to get underway.
The clock is ticking until Champions League football gets underway and if Martin could get off to a strong start, it would surely build the momentum ahead of the new campaign.
It is up to Thelwell and Martin to put their heads together and start to ramp up the project at Ibrox, allowing for plenty of preparation time for the first big game.