Kevin Thelwell opens himself up to extreme levels of ridicule as Rangers on verge of new hire
Rangers look set to appoint Scott Fry as a set-piece coach, with Kevin Thelwell previously working with him at Wolves.
The Rangers Review on 17 November has claimed that the current Lincoln City coach is set to land the newly-created role after using data to identify overperforming set-play teams in European and UK football.
While Danny Rohl was closely involved with the process, the impending appointment continues the trend of Thelwell bringing in personnel with whom he is closely associated.
Now, there is a real risk that Thelwell faces further backlash at Rangers if the appointment goes south.
Kevin Thelwell at risk of major backlash at Rangers
So far into his Rangers career, Thelwell has made some awful decisions.
After overseeing one of the worst summers in Rangers’ history, the sporting director has continued to make controversial decisions.
Last month, Thelwell appointed his son, Robbie, as Rangers’ head of recruitment, a decision that was blasted by many, including Ally McCoist.
On top of this, his former Wolves colleague, Jon Hunter-Barrett, is set to move to Ibrox in 2026 as an academy director.
- Thelwell joined Rangers in the summer
- His hire has not been popular at Ibrox after overseeing multiple failures
- Now, Thelwell is aiming to appoint his former colleague, Fry
Now, with Thelwell seemingly only appointing staff with whom he has some sort of relationship with, it is only going to end in disaster.
The Ibrox faithful are already heavily against Thelwell, and if this appointment does not live up to standard, it will only produce further scrutiny.
It is no doubt a big risk from the sporting director, given the current mood in Glasgow, and one that could potentially cost his job in the future if his appointments continue to underperform.
How are Lincoln performing at set-pieces this season?
With Fry likely to come through the door, it is important to assess how his club Lincoln are actually doing at dead balls.
According to Opta on 17 November, the League One outfit top xG produced in the division so far this season from set-pieces at 8.09. This has led to five goals.
Defensively, Lincoln have only conceded a 3.83 xG, the third-best in League One, which has resulted in four goals going into their net.
Therefore, it is clear to see that Fry has Lincoln performing well at set-pieces, but the challenge for the coach will be whether he can transfer these skills to Ibrox.
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