Former Rangers star Lewis Macleod’s return to Ibrox is something Ibrox Noise has been vaunting for years.
And of course, yesterday it was confirmed the now-retired midfielder has taken up a youth coaching role with the Academy in a very, very welcome return to Auchenhowie for the brightest spark during those dark dark days.
Ibrox Noise felt that Macleod, at such a young age, was a perfect age to coach – he’d been in those youth players’ position himself not that long ago at all, and after injury cruelly ravaged his career, he found himself in the unique position of having to quit way, way before his time.
But the silver lining is Macleod would relate to, nurture and understand the young players far better than an older coach deep into his 40s can.
Indeed, September in 2022 when it was confirmed that the boy was having to hang up his boots at just 28, Ibrox Noise published this piece suggesting his next step was to coach at Auchenhowie.
His appearances on Rangers TV have been great; he’s articulate, intelligent, mature, and expresses himself well. In many ways he reminds us of a slightly younger Steven Smith who also was great on RTV when making his cameos there.
And that’s the kind of wisdom a teenager at Auchenhowie needs. While there’s plenty of quality in the older coaches, of course, a young one who truly has been through it in just 10 years of a career can really speak from a perspective of the top level in football that few of his age in coaching will offer.
And that’s invaluable.
Macleod is very much one of us. He didn’t want to leave, but Rangers needed the £800,000+ for his services at the time, and sadly for him, his injury pileup began soon after.
He could have risen to the absolute top of the game, namesake Lewis Ferguson-style. He was that good, and his transfer to Brentford should have been his big step in that direction.
It wasn’t to be, and he’s home now, back in Scotland coaching his team.
A future coach of the more senior levels at the club? We don’t see why not, but we wish him very well in his new career with Rangers.
Welcome home Lewis.