It seems like an age ago that Gio van Bronckhorst was first appointed as Rangers manager but the Dutchman is still in the embryonic stages of his spell in the Ibrox hotseat.
Less than a year in, it's been a rollercoaster so far as he shapes Rangers into his image and builds on the foundations put in place during the Steven Gerrard era. There's been a moderately high player turnover, but the real change has been behind the scenes. An entirely new coaching setup has been put in place, and it looks like that backroom shakeup is set to get yet another major shot in the arm.
According to various reports south of the border, the Ibrox side are on the brink of landing a major coaching coup. Ceri Bowley has agreed to swap his sweeping, globetrotting role within the City Football Group for a more focused position at Ibrox.
But who actually is Bowley, and what will he be doing when he takes on his new challenge in Govan? Record Sport have all you need to know.
Who is Ceri Bowley?
First a bit of background. While Bowley isn't the highest-profile name working within the CFG, who own and operate clubs ranging from English Premier League goliaths Manchester City to Sichuan Jiuniu in China, he's certainly highly thought of. Having previously spent three years at the English FA as a regional coach mentor officer, he was recruited by the CFG in 2019, and has helped oversee some substantial growth.
They owned six clubs when he took over and have since doubled that, with Bowley taking on a huge role as their head of coaching support. While that's a relatively modern role which isn't well understood across football, it basically means he's had a big say on coach recruitment and the tactical style and identity of the clubs under the CFG umbrella.
His success speaks for itself; since Bowley's appointment, Man City have won three Premier Leagues, New York City won their first MLS Cup, Melbourne City have won successive titles in Australia, while Yokohama F.Marinos won the J-League in 2019 under Ange Postecoglou.
Meanwhile other sides have enjoyed substantial growth. Troyes were promoted to Ligue 1 in 2021 while Uruguayan side Montevideo City Torque and Spanish club Girona have also won promotions.
How does he know Gio van Bronckhorst?
After leaving Feyenoord in 2019, van Bronckhorst was invited to Manchester City, where he spent six months within the academy. He never held a formal role - the Manchester Evening News say he was "simply gathering experience of how the club, and the City Football Group, runs its business" - but he got hands on as he looked to learn what he could from Pep Guardiola 's team of coaches.
That's where Bowley comes in. He was his main contact throughout his time with the club, working closely with van Bronckhorst as the two struck up a close working relationship. During his time there, Van Bronckhorst was said to be fascinated by the business and footballing structure at the City Football Group, and bringing Bowley in is a major indicator he's looking to implement something similar at Ibrox.
Loves an inspirational quote
"The summit drives us, but the climb itself is what matters."
"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."
"In your highest moments, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you!”
"Ability is what you are capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. If you believe in yourself, anything is possible. Be amazing today."
Just a handful of the slogans that have featured on Bowley's Instagram over the years. The man loves an inspirational quote.
What will he bring to Rangers?
Boasting a PhD in sports psychology from Cardiff Metropolitan University, he can call himself Dr. Ceri Bowley. And he does - that's his display name on Twitter. He's obviously a very intelligent man and that mixture of and academic and practical knowledge is a big part of why he's so highly sought-after in footballing circles.
On top of that, he's been a huge part of 12 clubs across five continents; he has a knowledge of football and what it takes to win all over the globe. That could be a huge advantage when it comes to the European stage, given Bowley has peeked behind the curtain at clubs in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium with his role at the CFG.
It's unclear as yet exactly what his role will be at Ibrox. The Athletic say it will be a "wide-ranging" position, which indicates it might not be dissimilar to his role within the CFG, although with just one senior team to worry about rather than 12, his job will be more focused with greater attention to detail.
Broadly, he'll likely be the point man for the coaches across the first-team, B-team and academy. And he will have a big say in who replaces Van Bronckhorst if and when the time comes.
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