Rangers' James Bisgrove opens up on Ibrox fan power, recruitment and hints at change after Michael Beale era

Beware the ides of March was the Shakespeare-scribed warning of regicide given to Roman emperor Caesar. When it comes to the managercide Rangers are being forced to commit on a regular basis, for the unfortunates it has become a case of beware autumn.

Chief executive James Bisgrove wouldn’t choose to see the situation in that fashion, even as the appointment of Philippe Clement means he will now be making the acquaintance of a fourth permanent manager despite having only pitched up at Ibrox in 2019. Yet, the past three holders of post now that will now be occupied by the 49-year-old Belgian the club removed have all been bagged during the leaf-falling season – Pedro Caixinha, five years ago, and, the other week, Michael Beale both jettisoned in October, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst was relieved of his duties last November.

It is around this time in 2021 that Steven Gerrard left for Aston Villa. Indeed, if held to the same standards as the Dutchman, the former England captain could well have suffered the fate in his debut campaign of 2018-19. Across the first three months of it, he dropped more league points than did Van Bronckhorst to be ousted, and presided over a League Cup exit as avoided by his successor. However, he was spared because the bar then was so low, Celtic were dribbling away league points themselves, and because, well, he was Steven Gerrard.

The mood around the Ibrox club’s fanbase has changed since then, too. It now appears permanently on edge and, as has happened this season, always capable of erupting into open revolt if results are not forthcoming. These facets have made for a rude introduction to life as Rangers’ CEO for Bisgrove. The official start date in the role for the 38-year-old, previously the club’s commercial director, only three months ago. Already, though, Bisgrove and his board have essentially served up to their support the head of a second manager inside 12 months. Actions entitled to lead the club’s followers to believe a cycle has been set in train. A pattern wherein they have the power to bring the axe down rapidly on the man in charge of their team if they happen to be under-performing in relation to Celtic. Bisgrove, whose marketing background accounts for his push on fan engagement, would dispute the permanent-revolution reading of the unstable environment to have developed around the club’s football management set-up.

Rangers CEO James Bisgrove, pictured with new manager Philippe Clement, doesn't dispute that the hunt that ended with the Belgian being handed the role after the decision to part company with Michael Beale has made for a steep learning curve in the role he has held officially for three months. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

“Where we are really fortunate is that the supporters will thrive on the performances of the team when they are winning games,” Bisgrove said. “We have seen that be so, so powerful. When the supporters are frustrated, they will let the club know, they will let the players know. We share in their frustrations. We are one with the fans, the staff here at the club, when things aren’t going well. We are very in tune to that. That was what underpinned the decision to part company with Michael and his staff. The standards didn’t meet the expectations in terms of performances.

“But the fan engagement that I and other members of staff at the club are undertaking goes a lot further than results. Winning at Rangers is paramount, but we will talk about facilities at the club, about safe standing, about singing sections, about how tickets are allocated. We want to make sure that as an executive team we are engaging with supporters. We are transparent in our decision making, we have another fans’ forum in a few weeks time, we have supporter consultations in another couple of weeks. There is a lot more emphasis on, and interaction with, supporters than we have had in years before. The supporters are the lifeblood of the club. As Philippe has already said, the power they can have when they are behind the team and the energy they can put onto the players’ performance is huge. It is something that is fundamental to our strategy.”

Everything in the strategy flows from hiring the right manager. To be tasked with such a monumental appointment so early into his tenure as chief executive has made for a steep learning curve, the 38-year-old agrees. “It has, it has,” Bisgrove said. “And clearly the last two weeks have been very intense in terms of the process we undertook. It was absolutely right that we conducted a process that was so comprehensive, so multi-faceted in terms of the meetings we had – the first-stage interviews, the final-stage interviews between London and Brussels and Zoom calls and all the diligence and vetting process that the board undertook before making the appointment with Philippe. We’re feeling optimistic with the appointment, but yeah to answer the question, it’s been good fun.”

Fun isn’t a word many of the faithful would deploy in relation to the machinations at Rangers in recent times. Folly would more easily trip from their lips. Not just in terms of Beale being handed the role but over the perception that, following Ross Wilson’s departure as sporting director in April, the inexperienced Englishman was given free rein to squander millions in transfer fees as part of an extensive squad overhaul. The struggles of Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers – signed for a combined £7million – and early issues with £5m capture Danilo, have provoked an outcry from the Ibrox faithful over Beale having being allowed to play the market without a sporting director. A position that is now expected to be filled in the coming weeks. The finger-pointing over recent recruitment seems something of a squirrel when the signings under Wilson the previous summer were called out. Bisgrove avoids being pinned down on the scenario.

“The reality is that the decisions in terms of the summer transfer window were taken over a period of time, three months, six months, even a year before, by the scouting team and even the previous director of football working with the manager. They put that plan in place,” Bisgrove said. “So when we got to the transfer window it was very clear what we were going to do. Yes, it was heavily influenced by the manager. Now, moving forward, it is about making sure the football board owns the process and that the constituents of the football board take real responsibility on the decisions that are taken. The manager has a strong voice and influence on that process. But the manager’s primary responsibilities are managing the team, picking the right team and getting the best performance level and results out of them at the weekend.

“What’s fair is that results and performances have not met expectations. But what’s also fair is that there’s still 30 games to play in this season and there’s a lot to play for in terms of the league, the League Cup, the Scottish Cup and European football. I don’t believe we’ve seen the best from the squad. We believe it’s a strong squad with a lot of potential and we hope that Philippe is the man to get the best out of that squad.”