Chairman defends club’s approach
Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh insists the club did not mishandle the appointment of head coach Danny Rohl, though he admits the process looked clumsy from the outside. The Ibrox side nearly appointed Steven Gerrard and Kevin Muscat before agreeing a deal with Rohl, who initially withdrew before eventually accepting the role.
Supporters criticised sporting director Kevin Thelwell and chief executive Patrick Stewart for the team’s slow start this season, but Cavenagh defended their work in replacing Russell Martin. He emphasized that neither Thelwell nor Stewart “screwed up” the search for a new coach.
“I participated in every call, meeting, and discussion with both Gerrard and Muscat,” Cavenagh said. “Their decision not to join had nothing to do with Patrick or our sporting director.”
Timing and perception shaped the process
Cavenagh explained that timing, more than anything, prevented deals with Gerrard and Muscat. “It didn’t work mainly due to their schedules and a little bit on our side with Kevin,” he said. Meanwhile, the club quietly re-engaged with Danny Rohl behind the scenes. “Our focus is not on who didn’t come. We are thrilled Danny Rohl is our head coach,” he added.
The chairman also challenged inaccurate media coverage that made the search appear disorderly. “Reports did not reflect reality,” Cavenagh said. “From the outside, it looked clunky. Inside the club, it was perfectly controlled.”
Rangers never had a single leading candidate
Cavenagh dismissed claims that Rohl was a third choice behind Gerrard and Muscat. Rangers held talks with multiple coaches beyond the three widely reported. “We interviewed several excellent candidates. Five names could have led the club,” he said.
He described the process as comprehensive, with meetings in London just ten days prior. “I was extremely comfortable with all five candidates. They would have made great Rangers head coaches,” he said. The chairman emphasized that the club evaluated more coaches than the public knew about.
Complexities prevented deals with Gerrard and Muscat
Cavenagh described both situations as “complicated” rather than failures. “We never ranked candidates one, two, or three,” he explained. With only ten days to finalize a coach, Rangers pursued all five candidates simultaneously.
The chairman highlighted the logistical challenges. “These candidates live far away, have families, and joining mid-season is tough,” he said. Rangers managed multiple negotiations at once to see which could succeed. “We continuously tried to move the ball forward with every candidate,” he added.
