It’s clear to anyone watching: Rangers are a club in deep transition — not just in terms of management, but right across every layer of their structure.
There’s been a realisation inside Ibrox, whether openly admitted or not, that the cycle which began with Steven Gerrard’s title win in 2021 has truly come to an end. Not only has the footballing philosophy drifted into confusion since his departure, but the club has lacked a clear strategic direction off the pitch as well. Now, at last, there seems to be a recognition that the entire football operation needs a complete rebuild — and that process is already well underway.
A new CEO is now in place. A new chairman has been appointed. Kevin Thelwell, an experienced sporting director with a background in long-term project building, has been installed. A new permanent Rangers manager will arrive this summer. And perhaps most critically, there is the acknowledgment that another significant squad overhaul is essential.
It’s not just about refreshing the team with a couple of signings; Rangers need major surgery. Five players are confirmed to be out of contract at the end of the season. Others, quite frankly, simply haven’t been good enough to meet the standards the club aspires to. In key areas of the pitch — defence, midfield, attack — there is a shortage of real quality. The squad needs strengthening both in terms of depth and in top-end quality if Rangers are serious about mounting a credible, sustainable title challenge, never mind competing effectively in Europe.
For too long, Rangers have been stuck in limbo. Drifting from short-term fix to short-term fix. Chasing immediate results without a coherent vision for the bigger picture. Since the title win in 2020/21, the club has lacked a consistent identity, both on the field and off it. Managerial changes have been reactive rather than strategic. Recruitment has been inconsistent, lacking a clear model. The academy and the first team have existed almost in parallel worlds, without any true connection or alignment.
It’s no exaggeration to say Rangers have been directionless for three full years.
That’s the true scale of the task facing Kevin Thelwell.
He isn’t just here to oversee a couple of transfer windows. He’s been brought in to fundamentally rewire the entire footballing structure of the club. To build something lasting, something sustainable. To turn Rangers into a modern football club again — one where philosophy, recruitment, player development, and first-team performance are all pulling in the same direction.
Listening to Thelwell speak during his time at Everton — particularly in interviews like his appearance on the Training Ground Guru podcast — it’s easy to see why Rangers have pinned their hopes on him. His approach is clear and methodical. It’s not about short-termism; it’s about building a footballing identity that transcends any one manager or one group of players.
Thelwell’s philosophy centres on what he calls a clear football model. It’s about defining exactly how the team is expected to play in all phases of the game: in possession, out of possession, and in transition.
He explained:
“It’s about a very clear football philosophy, a very clear game model. It’s about saying: what do we expect our teams to do when they’ve got the ball? What do we expect them to do when they haven’t got the ball? What do we expect them to do when they’re transitioning?”
It’s about consistency. About ensuring that if you were to walk into a stadium and watch a Rangers team — whether that’s the first team, the B team, or the Under-18s — you would instantly recognise them. Regardless of the kit colour or the opposition, you’d be able to say, “that’s a Rangers team” just by the way they play.
That kind of clarity has been desperately missing at Ibrox since Gerrard’s departure.
One of the biggest criticisms of Rangers in the past few years is the sheer lack of a recognisable style. Under Michael Beale, Philippe Clement, and others, the team often looked like a collection of individuals rather than a cohesive unit. Some matches were played with heavy possession, others were reliant on counterattacks. There was no lasting blueprint.
But it’s not just about the first team.
The absence of a unified philosophy has seriously hurt Rangers’ academy pathway too. Young players find it much harder to step up into a first team when the style and system are completely different from what they’ve been developing under.
Look at the example of Findlay Curtis this season. At youth level, he has been electric — scoring goals for fun, operating as a winger and forward. But when he was given an opportunity to step up, Barry Ferguson played him as a wing-back at Pittodrie. While Curtis did well in difficult circumstances, it highlights the fundamental problem. Instead of stepping into a system he knows, he was adapting on the fly. There was no natural progression.
Of course, a truly talented player should have the ability to adapt. But clubs should be doing everything they can to support that progression, not make it harder.
Under a proper, club-wide philosophy, academy players would grow up playing the same formations, the same tactical patterns, the same roles and responsibilities that are used by the first team. So when the time comes to step up, the player doesn’t have to learn a new system — they just have to adjust to the pace, physicality, and pressure of senior football.
This is how you create a true production line. It’s how you reduce reliance on expensive squad players. It’s how you build internal competition. It’s how you create a sustainable future.
Clubs like Brighton & Hove Albion, Red Bull Salzburg, Benfica, and even Brentford have mastered this approach. It’s a modern reality that Rangers can no longer ignore if they want to be successful over the long-term.
The harsh truth is that Rangers have fallen behind.
It’s not a slight against the loyalty or passion of the fans, or the ambition of the club. But structurally — in terms of football operations — Rangers have been operating with a 2010s mindset in a 2025 world. Football has moved on. The smart clubs have systematised success. They no longer rely on individual managers to dictate the entire philosophy of the club. They build structures that outlast any single coach. That is what Thelwell is here to build.
And it’s why patience is absolutely crucial.
This rebuild won’t be completed in one summer. It may not even be completed in two. It will take several transfer windows, and more importantly, several seasons of consistently applying the same principles, even when setbacks occur.
There will be times when it feels like progress is slow. Times when questions are asked. Times when critics will call for quick fixes. But if Rangers truly want to close the gap to Celtic in a sustainable, repeatable way — not just for a season or two, but for the next 10 or 15 years — they must stick to the plan.
Kevin Thelwell’s appointment is a huge step in the right direction. But it’s only the beginning. The real work starts now — and it will take vision, commitment, and patience from everyone at Rangers, from the boardroom to the stands.
If they get it right, Rangers won’t just recover — they’ll build something that can dominate.
But if they fall back into old habits of chasing short-term fixes, quick-fix managers, and inconsistent recruitment?
They’ll be having this exact same conversation again by 2027.
The choice is clear. The path is there.
Now Rangers have to walk it.
Would you also like me to create a “fan rant” version next — like one that’s even more emotional, almost like you’d hear from a passionate fan on a podcast or in a post-match pub discussion? It could be fun to have both styles!
Want me to do that too?