John Bennett bares all in Rangers fan address: Ibrox latest, new twin transfer strategy, brutal lessons and CEO hunt

Rangers hope to return to Ibrox by the end of September – but chairman John Bennett admits that the date could be pushed back further amid uncertainty over shipping delays.

The club has been forced to uproot from its Govan base for the start of the season after work to renovate the Copland Stand, which includes the construction of a new disabled section, was pushed back due to a delay in the arrival of materials from overseas. Rangers will instead play home matches at Hampden Park – including their opening Scottish Premiership fixtures, Champions League qualifier and Premier Sports Cup last 16 tie, with a target set for a potential return to Ibrox for the league game against Hibs on September 28.

However, Bennett offered no guarantees as he admitted that the date could be pushed back further in the event of further hold ups. "I apologise again on behalf of this club for the uncertainty it's caused our fans," Bennett told Rangers TV. "I can assure the fans that the people in this club are working tirelessly to get this done. We need to finish the job.

Construction work continues on the Copland Road Stand at Ibrox Stadium. Picture taken July 4, 2024. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

"We must also not lose sight for whom this job was undertaken - our fans and in particular our disabled fans. We have to finish the job and we will finish this job. One of the things that gives me the will and strength to get this done is the people for whom we are doing it. Our fans. Also the people within the club - I see the work and how they are rising to the challenge. We'll finish the job.

"What we are dealing with here is a materials delay. We have a delay mid-shipment of our materials. We are not alone, because it is happening globally to so many entities. Our situation is we have three consignments on three vessels making their way to Glasgow. Pinch points are the ports - Singapore probably the biggest. Vessel number one has arrived. It is in Glasgow and we await vessels two and three.

"When delivery number two comes you will see the beginning of the final stages of installation. That will take time - not a few days. As things stand, subject to further slippage, and it frustrates that I have to keep caveating it that way, that is scheduled to arrive in Glasgow in the second week of August. Shipment three, as things stand, is scheduled to arrive in Glasgow in the third week of August. Then we can start to think about timelines. It's more an aspiration at this stage because there is still uncertainly.

"Clearly [it will be] after the September international break. We can aspire for that to be at the end of September but it's an aspiration and I am sorry I have to caveat it like this but I think I've given the reasons - the shipping situation. Yes, I can have an aspiration to get our people back into our home for the final game of September, but yes, it could slip beyond that."

Rangers chairman John Bennett has addressed the club's supporters.

Bennett also offered an insight into Rangers new approach to transfers, and how manager Philippe Clement is helping to drive a change in strategy towards a more long-term model of signing younger players with potential resale value such as recent recruits Mohamed Diomande, Connor Barron, Oscar Cortes and Hamza Igamane.

“Philippe brought a lot of the right things,” Bennett added. “He's brought leadership, he's brought that vision and he's all-in. Like a number of us, he's all-in. I've been struck by something he's said only recently regarding the player trading model, transfers if you like. He's been asked about the recruitment strategy. He's nailed it and we endorse it, recruiting for the long-term as well as the short-term. He's said recruiting only for the short-term has caused problems and I completely endorse that. Brutal lessons have been learned. It's not going to be easy, this strategy. There's a twin imperative. This is a club that needs to win. Other clubs get more time to build trading models. Rangers is compelled to win, it needs to win.

"The second imperative is if you are serious about building a truly operating player model, then you have to invest in player recruitment for short-term and long-term. That is a tricky thing to navigate. I'd like to think people can see that this window looks long-term as well. If you only recruit for the next season, then you get into that loop. He said to me in May that 'this is a bigger rebuild than I expected'. I said 'me too'. That's what we've got. We need to grip it. He gets that. He's fully aligned with it. If Rangers were to continue down the path of short-term, short-term ... while I'm chairman, I want to end the years of rinse and repeat, with changes in October. That must end. We have to rise to that very tricky challenge.”

Rangers are currently in the process of recruiting a new CEO following the recent departure of James Bisgrove, who quit the club after only 13 months in the post having earlier served for four years as commercial and marketing director to take up an offer in Saudi Arabia with newly-promoted Al Qadsiah. Bennett hopes to have new person in place soon, adding: "I wouldn't say absolutely everything was parked when I received the call in June but everything was slowed down. I hope to have some news pretty soon about our CEO.”