Rangers CEO Patrick Stewart has been chastised for his lack of effect since relocating to Ibrox in December 2024.
At the end of last year, the Gers’ manager left Manchester United after 18 years to join Govan.
During his tenure at Old Trafford, the C-Suite executive held four distinct positions, the most recent being CEO and board director.
After only a year in that position, he took the plunge and joined the Light Blues, but it’s fair to say things haven’t gone smoothly since Philippe Clement was fired last month.
Hugh Keevins blasts Stewart for hiring Barry Ferguson at Rangers.
The Belgian had been under siege all season, so it came as little surprise when the bag was pulled in G51.
Ferguson was given the opportunity to stabilise the Gers for the remainder of the campaign, which appeared to make sense as a substitute alternative.
Aside from the impending Europa League games against Fenerbahce, there is little to play for in Govan, therefore a temporary manager appeared to be a reasonable decision.
Having said that, Keevins has been underwhelmed by Stewart’s efforts to bring in the ex-midfielder as CEO in yet another “populist move”.
Writing for the Daily Record (2 March), Keevins lambasted the CEO, saying: “I stated here last week that the word was the first one I waited to hear used by a caller on radio whenever Rangers were surprised by some disastrous event on the park.
“I am still unconvinced that having played for the club with distinction automatically guarantees that you have transforming powers when it comes to altering the fortunes of the team if it is in trouble.
“It was a populist move made by a chief executive, Patrick Stewart, who has done more u-turns than a rookie driver since taking office at Ibrox last December. According to the dictionary, populism is something that “aims to appeal to ordinary people”.
“If that was the Rangers’ aim, it did not have the desired impact on the first radio caller following Ferguson’s job announcement. He said that the Ibrox hierarchy was “pulling the wool” over the supporters’ eyes. “So much for popular vote.”‘
Ferguson has had a shaky start in charge of the Rangers.
Since taking over as manager of the Light Blues, the 47-year-old has had a pretty mixed bag of results.
His first game saw the Gers fall behind 2-0 against Kilmarnock after less than 20 minutes, but his team rallied to win 4-2, and there was plenty of optimism in the victory.
Ferguson did not have the same fortune in his second encounter in command, as Motherwell won 3–0 at Govan.
Despite Cyriel Dessers’ third goal in two games under new management, Michael Wimmer’s team won 2-1 away from Ibrox.
The home team had more possession and chances, but they were defeated in a manner comparable to that of a Clement team.
This can only lead to more accusations against Stewart, who hired the former midfielder as head coach and now has a slew of major decisions ahead of the summer.
