Why Rangers don’t need a Director of Football

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Why Rangers don’t need a Director of Football

With Ross Wilson turning the Director of Football role down, and reports persisting in the media that Rangers’ board are putting the appointment on the backburner and prioritising the managerial job (itself an apparently 180 after previously exalting the DoF role as the number one), it would be safe to say the whole Director of Football saga is becoming just that.

The most important question really to ask ourselves is do Rangers need a DoF? IbroxNoise has opposed the idea from the start, suggesting it is not a model generally suited to the SPL, and certainly not to Rangers. Historically Rangers have run under one patriarchal overseer, be it Uncle Walter, the Little General, Jock Wallace, or the legendary William Struth. It is a position where the Club have always had one man to look up to, one man whose model and influence dictate the shape and flow of the Club.

Sometimes it does not work so well – Ally McCoist’s tenure perhaps could have gone better, ditto Paul Le Guen, and of course the last incumbent.

But generally speaking Rangers’ success is based on a mutual trust between the Club and one chief – and the idea of a modernising ‘head coach’ in conjunction with a ‘Director of Football’ is a model we have to say we urge massive caution against.

And it appears the failure to snap up Wilson has seen Rangers’ board shifting their focus away from that job and into the one that really counts – the guy who sets the team out and picks the players.

The model has worked quite well for Hearts, no denying that – the Levein and Neilson system reaped great rewards for Gorgie. But of all the ‘big’ clubs in Scotland, they are the only one who employ that system and the moment Robbie walked out of Tynecastle the fruits of that mechanism started to wither. Celtic, Aberdeen and … St Johnstone (?) do not employ a DoF and I cannot for the life of me fathom why Rangers want, or wanted to go that path.

Now it appears plans have changed, and personally I am thankful for that. Whatever we think of the new managerial appointment, should it be ratified, Rangers’ model has always been to give the manager full autonomy rather than partial control, and if we are going to trust this Caixinha fellow with the most important managerial job in Scotland, we should go all in rather than giving him a wee bit.

Will he be in charge for Sunday? Who knows. But it looks now like the Director of Football concept is starting to fade, and maybe this excruciating saga can be laid to rest.

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25 COMMENTS

  1. I personally don't see why we would need one. I can't see what advantages it could bring us. All I see it doing is undermining the manager and creating a tense atmosphere. A good strong manager should be more than adequate. If the Board are considering that we need a DoF then imo they are not looking at the right type of manager to manage our club in the first place. Nor does it fill me with hope that the manager will manage in the fashion it should be done in.

    • The only thing that us clear us the board is in a complete shambles.

      No money, no ideas, no communication, no clue.

      How can you make a statement outlining the strategy then completely abandon it?

      Utter disgrace. At very least the so called MD should be sacked for this shambles. Won't happen.

    • You are totally right. No one has the slightest clue on what should be happening. The length of time and the too-ing & fro-ing on getting a manager in has been ridiculous.

  2. Never voted because I think the reason for change anyone doing well in Scotland get poached by clubs in England because of money , now if a manager/coach does well n clubs down south come calling if every time they bring in there own team of coaches,scouts etc then u loose the lot same if they do rubbish n get sacked ,then u have to look for a new manager n some of his staff don't want to leave with him u have more positions to fill but if it Jst the coach/managers who come n go then u always have yur team n stable structure in place n you only have 1 man to fill.Wasn't keen on a DOF but does make sense when you think about it,

    • Totally agree Blue. The huge financial opportunities available in England to any successful SPL manager could see a new manager staying at Ibrox on a very short lease. A constantly revolving door of managers might be hard to stop, a DOF can lessen any damage.

    • Main point is that our board made a public statement. In that public statement it made clear that our board viewed director if football as number one priority.

      What's changed?

      They have made a complete mess if the recruitment process. Unfortunately publicly.

      We are in the ridiculous position of appointing a manager first, despite boards statement- worse still we are picking a manager chosen by the person who publicly rejected us

      Please tell me what drug makes this seem like sense!

  3. don't think wee need d,o,f what happens if murty beats that smelly club on sunday . surely he should get the chance until end of season .looks as if the deal is done with ccixinha could be a big mistake .everybody shouting for new manager to come in straight away should have left it until end of season . i am in the king corner but think this new manager is his last chance

    • Murty doesn't want the job, that has been made clear. The poor guy is basically doing what mccoist used to do- take the flak the board are due.

  4. The board are clueless, directionless and must go.

    Why are fans letting them away with this – the club is in a worse situation than it was under Ashley -at least then we had hope things would change when we reached spl.

    The overall situation is the same, the club still requires short term loans due to the mismanagement of our resources, this is fault of king and Ashley not one alone. King picked a fight he couldn't win, the club has paid the price.

    The club clearly publicly stated it would fill DOF role BEFORE the manager's, the clear logic is that the two men must share a philosophy and work together.

    We publicly chased Wilson, and have been publicly rejected. This should have been done in secret with out off record press briefings. We also clearly failed to make sure at interview that he really wanted the job. A huge error, a very basic interview question and one that has came back to bite us.

    No wonder the other interviewed candidates are now backing off also. One they know they were second choice, secondly they themselves will see that the board is a joke and thirdly it now appears that we are appointing Wilson's managerial choice even though he himself has rejected us.

    No wonder that they also no longer want the role. It leaves us appointing a manager who other than people who did qualification at same time have even heard of.

    He has basically no track record, lacks all the qualities the board stated were required and the rangers connection all fans wanted. Like other posters have suggested- the cheap option.

    I hope I am wrong but their is a terrible stench around this decision. What in earth is the board thinking.

    No money, no strategy, no ideas, no promised spending, no promised director of football, No promised experienced manager, must I go on!

    The board must go – they have made an embarrassing shambles of their last chance.

    Fellow fans stop buying kings lies- do not renew your season ticket. Starve king of our money until we actually see some of his.

    The mess we are in truly breaks my heart.

  5. I've never felt comfortable with the idea of a DoF at Ibrox but I was prepared to give it a try. The key appointment for me will always be the manager and if we get a good one who picks us up by the scruff of the neck and takes us forward for a few seasons then all is well and good.
    It is always a risk and I imagine the Board are shitting bricks worrying about this appointment as well. Whoever it is, lets hope he turns out to be better than the last one . . . . ffs!

    • It's the total lack of direction and strategy that worries me more than our next game or our next manager to be honest.

      Celtic are well run and operate to a long-term plan.

      We are a shambles and don't know what tomorrow holds.

      Unless king is ousted this won't change. He's doing all he can to make sure no-one can.

    • E-Chef

      Again you are correct in your assessment of the club under King. Lets face it, anyone who a South African judge branded a 'glib and shameless liar' will have no qualms about duping you and your granny out of her pension and your hard earned…the man is a crook and a liar and should never have been allowed anywhere near our club… have you all forgot he was in cahoots with Murray, on the board under Whyte and has driven our shares off the AIM …and people are still willing to back him with their money and trust?

      Here is a little teaser for you….which of these quotes do you think were in an interview in the media a few years back….

      1:“I’m someone who has grown up with a Rangers club and a Rangers tradition that I believed would always be there.

      “I think I picked it up from my father, and he from his father. It concerned me that, even though I’m not living in Scotland, for all those that are here, that tradition seemed to be breaking.

      2: "My father wasn’t at all keen on me becoming a Rangers supporter. He was a Glasgow policeman and because of that he resented the whole football scene in Glasgow.‘He was actually very anti-football. When we were kids growing up he was very vocal on his dislike of the bigotry in football. The police in Glasgow at that time saw it as a basis for thuggery.

      Our 'chairman' is a man of many guises….but one thing he is consistent at is telling lies and at your expense mostly.

      GSTQ

    • Just wish more fans saw it Gordo.

      After the series of con men we have seen dupe the fans over last few years we should be good at spotting them by now!

    • re.sorrysaga, that award goes to sporting integrity f.c. nae teble in 15 year, record fines, hiring pivate detectves, attacking referes and players on the feild,no poppies, shall i continue. no amount of money or sucsess will change that despite their propaganda.

  6. WALTER SMITH AND BIG ALEX THE ONLY MEN WITH THE EXPERIENCE AND KNOWHOW TO TOPPLE SMELLTIC. THE BOARD SHOULD BE BEGGIG THEM FOR 1 MORE GIG WHILE GETTING THE INFRASTRCTURE RIGHT. I WOULD ALSO RECRUIT JOHN PARK, THESE TWO PRODUCED SOME OF OUR NATIONAL SIDES BEST RESULTS IN YEARS. IT BAFFLES ME WHY A CLUB WITH SO MANY CONNECTIONS WORLDWIDE DO NOT HAVE THE FORESIGHT TO USE THEM. NUMAN, ALBERTZ,GATTUSO, THE LIST IS ENDLESS, SO MANY COUNTERIES TO PLUCK PLAYERS AS PART OF A WORLDWIDE SCOUTING SYSTEM. IF ONLY WE HAD HAD A BOARD WITH A LONG TERM VSION RATHER THAN SHORTSIGHTEDNESS IDEAS.WEWILL TOPPLE THEM,I'M CONVINCED OF IT IF THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE PUT IN PLACE,THAT MOB R UP AGAINST THE WORST GERS SIDE EVER.NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED ABOUT. IM OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE WHYTES AND KELLYS PLUNDERING AND MC CANN TAKING STICK WHILE WE WERE WINNING EVERYTHING.THE GOOD TIMES WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR MARK MY WORDS. THE FAMOUS GLASGOW RANGERS FEAR NO FOE!

  7. We need a bloody good scout to pluck hidden cheap gems from the dutch league or similar leagues.
    Stay away from Brentford ex loanees…
    We should use Warburtons exit as a chance to move on and invigorate the club!
    The players heads have been down. That changed at Hamilton. Forget the score, it changed.

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