Rangers have announced the sacking of their chief executive, Patrick Stewart, and the sporting director, Kevin Thelwell. The pair have been the target of intense supporter anger after a disastrous start to the season. Rangers won one of their first eight league games and suffered seven consecutive European defeats after a much-criticised summer recruitment drive.
Although domestic form has improved since Danny Röhl replaced Russell Martin as manager last month, Rangers’ American owners, who took over in May, have acted decisively. The chair, Andrew Cavenagh, and vice-chair Parag Marathe are now leading the search for new incumbents “that align with the vision for the next chapter”.
“Responsible change is measured and steady,” Cavenagh said. “Our first priority has been to improve the sporting performance and that led to our decision to part ways with Russell Martin and bring in Danny Rohl. Danny has now started the process of improving the on-pitch performance and that has given us the chance to focus on other parts of the club.
“Patrick and Kev are both skilled executives and have delivered a lot for the club in their time with it. We’ve now had six months since we became part of Rangers to assess the club’s needs as well as to get to know Patrick and Kev a bit more. Simply put, when we think about what we need in both CEO and sporting director today, it’s different than who we think Patrick and Kev are.
Kevin Thelwell (left) and Patrick Stewart have lost their jobs at Rangers. Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA
“I will not throw dirt on either of them. I think very highly of them both on personal and professional levels. It’s just the reality that the club needs different things today than it did six months ago. We’ve already started the hiring process and hope to have appointments soon, but we will prioritise quality and fit over speed.”
Stewart has held his role at Rangers for a year, while Thelwell’s appointment in April was sanctioned by the American owners shortly before their takeover was completed. The latter’s short spell at Ibrox is largely defined by the decision to appoint Martin, who proved to be Rangers’ shortest-serving permanent manager in history when he was sacked in October after 17 games in charge.