RANGERS’ new Chief Executive Officer Patrick Stewart sat down with RangersTV to discuss his role with the club and you can read every word of his first interview below.
He spoke about why moving to Ibrox was right for him, his early discussions with new Chairman Fraser Thornton, as well as his plans for the immediate future.
You can watch the full interview on RangersTV, but here is what Patrick had to say.
Welcome to Rangers Football Club, what does it mean to you to be here now?
“It is a huge honour, I have been working in football for 25 years and I have been fortunate to walk into Old Trafford for 18 of those years. But the goosebumps I felt when I walked into the Bill Struth Main Stand for the first time was unlike anything I have ever experienced. You can feel the heritage and when you combine that with the club’s amazing fanbase, the iconic stadium, I’m incredibly excited.
"Obviously it is somewhat bittersweet. Yesterday was my first day and we were licking our wounds from Sunday. It was disappointing in the manner of the defeat, but we can take a huge amount from it. There is a lot to be optimistic about, but yesterday was bittersweet. I was really excited to start the role, but I was disappointed it wasn’t with a trophy in the cabinet.”
In your view, what kind of challenge are you taking on here in the job at Rangers?
“I think there is a lot we can be really proud of in terms of what has been achieved so far under perhaps some trying circumstances over the last seven months in particular. There has been no secret that on the park, we are not where we want to be in terms of trophies.
"Off the park, the AGM results were there for everyone to see and also from a perception perspective, I think sometimes, the wider perception for Rangers hasn’t been where we want to be. There are challenges there, but equally we have some really strong foundations to build from. I have spent the past couple of days meeting staff and colleagues, and we have some really brilliant, engaged and passionate people here - so that is already a great start.
"We have seen what the men’s first-team have been doing in the past few weeks in terms of turning around the season - you can see real progress there. With the women’s first-team, they had a disappointing result on Sunday, but they are right up there challenging for the league title and they are looking good to win that cup back.”
The club announced Fraser Thornton as Chair over the weekend, what have the discussions been like and how will your roles differ moving forward?
“I have had really good discussions with Fraser. I initially spoke to him a couple of weeks ago and we had a good connection. I am excited about Fraser starting. I am meeting him again today and we will dive into lots of different issues.
"In terms of how the roles differ, I guess very high level - Fraser is a non-executive chairman and I am an executive CEO. What that means, is day to day I will be in the club, running the club, looking after operational matters, whereas Fraser is non-exec where he is one step removed.
"Clearly, whatever I am doing day to day, I have to operate in a framework which is agreed with the board and with Fraser, and I am accountable to the board and to Fraser. But day to day it will be me who is coming into Ibrox, going to Auchenhowie and helping drive the club forward.”
How do you view where the football is at right now?
“There has been a lot for us to be cautiously optimistic about in recent weeks. I know the signings we made in the summer are starting to really bed in and play with a degree of confidence. In fairness to Philippe he always said it would take time. You always say ‘when will that time come?’ and we have seen that in the last few weeks.
"The match with Spurs really showed Rangers going head-to-head with a top Premier League side and it was a match we all felt we should have won. The performances in the SPFL have been really positive, we are scoring, not conceding, of course the Cup Final - I don’t want to dwell on it again, but it could have been such a memorable day. We have a lot to be positive about.
"The manner which we lost was hard to take, and as I think people will know, I have spoken with the SFA to ask for an explanation about the non-awarding of a penalty in extra-time, so I will wait to hear what the SFA have to say about that. We can’t forget the women’s team who have had a consistent season so far and Sunday was an anomaly, but I am positive with the work Jo [Potter] and Donald [Gillies] are doing there.”
What is your message to the Rangers supporters?
“I have been really taken aback by the passion of the fanbase. Football fans are passionate, but the passion and commitment and loyalty shown by Rangers fans is something else and it has taken me aback. Fans are the lifeblood of any football club and that’s none more so than the case for Rangers Football Club.
"So their voice, bringing them with us, and working together with them is a really important part of a well run football club. I do intend to be visible and communicate with the fans, but equally I think they would want me to do the job and not spend all my time speaking to them.
"The challenge for me is to find that rhythm where I am communicating with them, getting their thoughts and feedback, and equally being able to explain things to them about where the club is going from a vision and strategy perspective. Whilst at the same time, making the space and time to get on with things and I think that is what the fans would want me to be doing.”