It was a matter of when, not if. In keeping with the decision to sack Russell Martin, the calls to remove Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell carried an air of inevitability. Like the manager that they hired and then fired, the now former chief executive officer and sporting director had lost the support.
Backing from above came just last month as the unveiling of Danny Rohl as Martin’s successor became more about Stewart and Thelwell. The focus was on the mistakes of the past rather than the potential for the future. Andrew Cavenagh supported Stewart and Thelwell in public but must have already had his doubts in private. As is so often the case, the vote of confidence is the beginning of the end.
The chairman has spoken of the importance of doing this with the fans. To do that, he needs them on side. This decision was a popular one, a vote-winner. But it was not taken to prevent his own face from adorning one of the now-infamous stop sign banners that have appeared in the stands over recent months.
Read more:
- Andrew Cavenagh explains Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell Rangers sackings
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Cavenagh has tested the water and felt the temperature. The chants of ‘get to f***’ that were so repeated towards Martin were directed at Stewart and Thelwell as the fans made their position perfectly clear, particularly in the Europa League defeat to Roma as empty seats told their own story. Behind the scenes, other influential figures have made their feelings known of late and the crescendo of voices have all struck the same notes.
Cavenagh has not been pushed into making this decision, but he realised that it was the only outcome to keep his backers – both emotional and financial ones – singing from the same hymn sheet going forward. This was not a problem that could be solved by throwing money at it, especially when you cannot have full faith in those tasked with spending it. Something had to give. In the end, Cavenagh decided that Stewart and Thelwell had to go.
“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,” Cavenagh said. “And 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. We want people that align with the vision for the next chapter.
“I am not here and 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.”
Those ‘different things' will not be made public for now. Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe, the vice-chairman, have already commenced the search for replacements, while former chairman Fraser Thornton has assumed the role of interim chief executive officer. Thornton joined Cavenagh on a staff call after the announcement, with Danny Rohl and his coaching team also present as the situation was outlined.
The need for the appointments to be right cannot be understated. Stewart was in situ before Cavenagh completed his takeover in partnership with 49ers Enterprises, but the Americans signed off on the deal that brought Thelwell from Everton. Fans will give Cavenagh credit for making a big call but, like the Martin episode, will question the length of backing given. Deferring difficult decisions is not leadership, but Cavenagh has shown that he will take on board opinion, both from the stands and those who make up the 49 per cent shareholding that the consortium do not control.
All eyes are now on Cavenagh and Marathe. The timing is intriguing. Losing two influential figures just weeks after the recruitment of a head coach and with a transfer window on the horizon is far from ideal and Rangers are once again in a state of flux. Yet the bigger picture is being assessed and the longer-term is being considered.
Cavenagh and Co. arrived at Ibrox in early June and were thrown into a whirlwind before finding themselves in a tailspin. Perhaps the time was just not there for them to properly prepare for what was to come and Rangers bounced from one mistake to another, one defeat to another. Some of those who have already been sounded out, or that Rangers will approach, will have notice periods that run into several months and the people and process must be fully operational ahead of next summer.
At the point of Martin’s sacking – which should have come much earlier than it did – Rangers were a club in crisis. Stewart was not the man to salvage the situation with a ‘my way or the highway’ approach. He was in the wrong movie, forever to be cast as the bad guy. Whatever his vision for Rangers was, it did not align with the supporters. Ultimately, it did not match Cavenagh’s.
Further departures are not thought to be imminent, but that does not mean that they won’t be on the cards further down the line. Will, for example, the next incumbents wish to work with Dan Purdy, the technical director, or Thelwell’s son, Robbie? Nathan Fisher was recently appointed as chief scout, while Jonathan Hunter-Barrett has been confirmed as head of academy. The message from Cavenagh will be the same across the board as he challenges each member of staff to prove their worth and their value and he seeks to hold each individual to account.
The strategy remains to have sustained winning while winning sustainably. The first six months at Ibrox will have been a steep learning curve for Cavenagh and those who joined him on this journey. The coming weeks will show if they are older and wiser for the mistakes made and able to ensure that they are not repeated.
Before the two latest vacancies are filled, Rangers must negotiate the festive fixture schedule and then the January transfer window. Just nine days after Thelwell addressed the potential business that could be done over that period, permission to lead the process was denied.
The issue of the summer was an old one. Spending money has never been a problem for Rangers, but spending it wisely has been. Thelwell will be damned by the £8million committed to Youssef Chermiti unless the Portuguese proves he can, somehow, live up to the billing the man that also signed him for Everton has given him. A squad that does not have the quality or the character required needs significant additions and those that remain will assist Rohl to complete the necessary moves sooner rather than later. It is a group that Cavenagh still has faith in, although there is an understanding at Ibrox that it is short in certain areas.
Cavenagh believes the German can solve the problems on the park. A change of leadership at the executive level is now designed to solve the problems off it at Ibrox. There is a sense that Stewart never 'got' Rangers. His successor does not need to be steeped in the history of the club, but he needs to be a better fit as a personality and carry himself in a different manner.
Rangers expressed their ‘sincere gratitude to both Patrick and Kevin for their leadership and unwavering commitment to the club’ in a short statement on Monday. Cavenagh then spoke to Sky Sports News and was asked for his message to the supporters.
“I think change is constant, but we think the changes have been positive too,” Cavenagh said. “My message to them would be that we're all on the same side. Every time we see something that we think we can make better that helps us achieve our goals, we will make that change and we're not afraid to do that."
The takeover was greeted with calls to Make Rangers Great Again. Before Cavenagh can do that, he must make them better. The last six months and £20million have been a missed opportunity rather than a new start.
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