Why Kevin Thelwell and Patrick Stewart Failed at Rangers as Sack Confirmed; Fans React

Kevin Thelwell and Patrick Stewart have both been sacked by Rangers with their positions deemed untenable by the ownership group on Monday morning.

The now former sporting director and chief executive were both served their jotters in a shock move by the 49ers group led by Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe.

Mr. Cavenagh thanked the pair for their efforts and refused to “throw dirt” on either man on their way out. But the businessman did explain how he felt the club need different executives to help move forward.

It was a surprise move despite Thelwell recently speaking to the club’s PR team for their YouTube channel to comment on the summer transfer window and what went right and wrong during that period. The former Everton staffer also discussed what he had planned to do moving into the January window, which will obviously now not happen.

Fans had previously demanded the removal of both men from their positions at Ibrox with protests and banners appearing in the stands at home matches as well as among the away crowds this season.

They were blamed for the appointment of Russell Martin while some of their signings have been questionable at best.

FootballBlog has taken everything into account and analysed where Thelwell and Stewart failed as custodians at Rangers and the fans, too, have had their say.

Russell Martin Rangers disaster

Rangers hired Russell Martin following what they claimed was a rigorous process to find their next manager after Philippe Clement had been axed.

Both Thelwell and Stewart had been impressed by the former Southampton and Swansea City boss and they wanted a head coach as opposed to a manager to allow for Thelwell to have more say in the transfer plans and identified players he and Martin would work with.

It became clear early on that the 39-year-old – who had been handed a three-year contract with the club – was the wrong fit despite some fans’ worries before he was even in the gig.

Martin guided Rangers into an iceberg and is to blame for the Gers’ worst start to a season in almost 50 years with a win record of just 29 percent, the lowest of any Ibrox gaffer in history. His reign lasted just 123 days and he left the club in sixth spot in the Scottish Premiership, nine points behind Celtic and 11 short of league leaders Hearts at the time.

That was certainly Thelwell and Stewart’s first big mistake and the second might well have been allowing Martin to get to 123 days in situ before finally pulling the trigger.

The writing had been on the wall with fans demanding the head coach depart but the pair stood firm and that blemished their reputations early.

Rangers summer transfer failings

For all the talk about a lack of financial muscle at Ibrox, Rangers actually spent a hefty amount by their own standards in the summer window. Around £26million was splashed out by the club’s new owners and they were guided by the sporting director and chief exec.

Youssef Chermiti cost a whopping £8m and he had never scored a professional goal before he was snapped up by Thelwell. The same man who had spent £12m on him while with the Toffees from Sporting CP.

The striker has now scored one goal in 13 but is best known for missing sitters vs Celtic in the League Cup.

Oliver Antman cost Gers £4m and is yet to set the heather alight to the point that he is not a guaranteed starter under boss Danny Rohl. The same goes for Manny Fernandez from Peterborough who cost £3.5m and has only featured four times.

Thelo Aasgaard (£3.5m), Bojan Miovski (£2.5m) and Oscar Cortes (£4m) all cost a pretty penny and have failed so far to deliver. Joe Rothwell wasn’t a big money signing but he has flopped, too. Even Gers’ loan signings – Mikey Moore, Nasser Djiga, Max Aarons, Derek Cornelius and Jayden Meghoma – have struggled.

Hamza Igamane was sold after refusing to play for Martin while others also brought in cash which could be considered successful depending on who you ask!

Fans react to Rangers sacking Thelwell and Stewart

It certainly seems like fans believe this decision by the higher-ups is the right one.

According to thousands who reacted on social media to the breaking news on Monday morning, it should have come earlier in the season.

One punter wrote: “Ya dancer,” as another commented: “Excellent! Time to get the correct CEO and DoF in who have the proven track record of success.”

One said: “Like so many other things – this should have been done months ago. However this is the correct decision – both were unfit for this club with their decisions and hires only proving as much. Their replacements must be right and they must get what this club needs to dominate.”

A fourth added: “Great news, hopefully a sign that fans are actually being listened to. Would still like a review/investigation into the signing of Chermiti, and the “thorough recruitment process” that resulted in Thelwell discovering his son was the best option all along.”

One wrote: “Best news I’ve read in a long time. Let’s back the team and the manager now!” One joked: “If Carlsberg did Mondays”.

What Andrew Cavenagh said about Rangers’ decision to sack pair

“Paraag and I have analysed the club’s needs and as we reflect on what the club needs today, from where Kev and Patrick are, we think we need something different.

“I want to be really careful not to throw dirt on either of them, I think the world of Kevin and Patrick they have been great professionals, worked tirelessly for the club and I don’t think it’s appropriate to give a compare and contrast on what they did and didn’t do right and what we’re looking for in the future. I’ll keep it simple to say that as we look forward, we want different executives to lead the transformation of the club.

“I don’t think it’s that they wouldn’t align with the strategy but that there are different executives who can help move the strategy forward differently. They were always in alignment with the strategy we were trying to execute.”