It's been a jam-packed few months at Rangers - and chief executive officer James Bisgrove has been at the heart of the shake-up.
Michael Beale is ushering in a new era at Ibrox as he looks to reclaim the Scottish Premiership title from Celtic next season, with several players set to leave the Light Blues this summer as well as arrive on Edmiston Drive before the new campaign. Away from the dressing room, the club has shifted at board level after Douglas Park was replaced as chairman by John Bennett, with vacancies also left in the managing director, sporting director, finance director and head of academy in recent months.
Among the changes Bisgrove, who arrived at Ibrox in 2019 as Director of Commercial and Marketing, has stepped into the void left by managing director Stewart Robertson and will officially takes on the new as CEO role on July 31 as he balances his current position with the duties of the outgoing managing director. The chief broke down the plans for the next few months at Ibrox and beyond in a sit-down interview with club media.
But what were the key talking points to come out of the Ibrox address? Record Sport takes a look.
On becoming 'dominant' in Scotland
Celtic are on the brink of a Treble this season after cruising to the Scottish Premiership title this term. With the Viaplay Cup already in the trophy cabinet Inverness CT are all that stand in Ange Posecgolou's way as he looks ahead to the Scottish Cup final/
However, Bisgrove has a plan to start bringing silverware back to Ibrox. He said: “We’ve got a very clear strategy for the football club through to 2025 in terms of what we want to achieve across the club.
“There are a number of objectives that underpin that, but it’s about us being successful as a football club and being the dominant team in Scotland. It’s important for us to win trophies on a regular basis and we compete and make an impact in European competitions.”
On backing Beale
Michael Beale hasn't been shy of promising big changes in the squad this summer - and Bisgrove is firmly behind the boss as he looks to replace the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Allan McGregor and Ryan Kent at the end of the campaign. The CEO said: “The manager has already spoken about the summer being a transformative one for the squad and he’s also presented a clear body of work which has taken place across a number of months.
"Led by our chief scout John Park from a recruitment point of view, he's presented a plan for what he wants the squad to look like. His plan is fully supported by the board and we are reasonably well-advanced in a number of discussions that will underpin that plan in terms of player recruitment and there will be some announcements made in due time.
“The plan that Michael has presented to the board is a really exciting one in terms of the transformation on the park for next season.”
On player trading
The player trading model has long been the vision of the Ibrox board - and this summer is no different. Bisgrove admits that some familiar faces at Ibrox could be on their way out.
Bisgrove said: "Whilst the focus this summer is on recruitment, we will have an eye on player trading out because that is important for the model. There are individuals and clubs that we are talking to that may see players coming in but also going out. We will always take those decisions in the best interests of the club."
On board changes
A host of changes have been made behind the scenes at Ibrox since Douglas Park stood down as chairman to be replaced by former vice-chairman John Bennett. Since then managing director Stewart Robertson has announced he is leaving in the summer, while sporting director Ross Wilson quit for a similar role at Nottingham Forest. Long serving finance and football administration director Andrew Dickson left his position while Craig Mulholland is to leave Rangers as academy director at the end of the season after 20 years in the role.
Bisgrove has stated that discussions for 4 key roles on the board are already taking place. The Ibrox chief said: "There have been some leadership positions that have been vacated and I would like to say thank you to those individuals that have been committed to Rangers for a long period of time and have taken new challenges. But we are looking to appoint a new sporting director, a new academy director, a new financial officer and of course a commercial and marketing director."
On expanding Ibrox
There are also aesthetic changes in the works on Edmiston Drive that will please the Ibrox support. Bisgrove laid out the plans for the revamp in Govan.
He said: "We also want to invest in our infrastructure. We've seen that here at Ibrox with some of the things we've done around stadium expansion.
"We're sitting here in a new Rangers restaurant, the Blue Sky Lounge, we're working on a sports bar that is incredibly exciting. As part of that stadium expansion, that we presented at the AGM, we've got a clear plan in terms of how we want to improve the disabled facilities here at Ibrox.
"As part of that, we're also looking into the feasibility of safe standing, which is an area which has been spoken about for many years and it's an area I think we can revisit. Our financial health and sustainability gives us the resources to invest in the infrastructure.
"Of course, New Edmiston House which reopened earlier this year, that really gave us the flagship of the campus we've got here at Ibrox. We've got the museum that will open, and again, it's another revenue stream that will open for us. That's one of the areas where I'll be really focussed in terms of my leadership."
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