Thelwell Outlines Work To Strengthen Football Structure

The 52-year-old was speaking exclusively to RangersTV, detailing the development of the football department, the appointment of an Academy Director, and preparations for the January transfer window.

In a wide-ranging sit-down, Thelwell said: “It’s an exciting time because we’re starting to look at the way we’re organised from a sporting perspective and say ‘well, what does great look like?’, where we are against that standard, and who can help us reach that standard.

“We have been talking about making some new appointments and we have made some new appointments.

“I’m really pleased with the appointment of Jaymes Monte, in particular, a guy from Dundee, previously worked with Hudl, and probably our first ever appointment in that data space.

“He’s going to provide us with a lot of insight in relation to data, not only from a recruitment perspective but also from analysis of opposition, our own game, and then medical, sports science and coaching.

“It’s a great appointment and we’re really looking forward to seeing the benefits of that.

“We’re talking about making another appointment in a Director of Operations role.

"Just to be clear about what that appointment looks like: the way we operate on a day-to-day basis at the training facility, making sure we’re in the right spaces at all the right times, and the ways we administer the transfer windows, and about governance, process and strategy to make sure we’re as well organised as we possibly can be.

“How is the structure defined? Let’s start right at the very top.

“A manager became a Head Coach because he’s had so much to do that he wasn’t able to focus on some of the most important bits of the day-to-day basis, which was preparing the team, concentrating on the performance of the team, and, fundamentally, the results.

“Some of that responsibility has been dissolved to me as the Sporting Director. And it’s no different as the Sporting Director.

“There are so many broad aspects of the role that some of the responsibilities are being dissolved down to other people.

“For example, the Technical Director, we all know how crucial the recruitment space is and you need to get that right.

“That’s the role of Dan Purdy, to provide some real focus and expertise in that area because that’s where we spend all of our money, not only on salaries and agent fees but also on transfer fees.

“If we get that space right, we get the product on the pitch with the team, and then we’re also able to generate and trade.

“There are clear differences between all those roles but all hopefully providing high-level expertise to make us strong operationally and as efficiently as we can be, to help us make good decisions and hopefully come out with some very good outcomes.”

Thelwell also opened up on the appointment of Jonathan Hunter-Barrett, who begins his role as Academy Director in January, and stressed the importance within the club of strengthening the pathway between the youth ranks and first-team.

He continued: “I know that youth development has been important to Rangers and will continue to be.

“It is very important to me. My background was in Academy management so developing young players and giving them opportunities is something that all clubs should be doing and certainly big clubs like Rangers should be doing.

“I think we have got some very good young players here and I also think that we have got a very good Academy. But what makes the very best academies is the ones that give opportunities to their young players.

“That is where a lot of clubs find it difficult and a lot of clubs fall down - we don't want to be one of those clubs.

“We want to say, 'if you are one of our best talents we don't want you to leave for somewhere else, we want you to play for Glasgow Rangers and want you to succeed here'.

“We want you to help us to win and so selling those messages and starting that process, creating that pipeline, it is probably one of the first things that we started to do.

“Then it is also very important that we put our money where our mouth is and that is exactly what we have been doing.

“The boys in European squads [Kyle Glasgow and Ashton Scally], that gives them that additional experience.

“Those and others training with the first-team in the international breaks, training with Danny [Röhl], training with first-team players and then also playing in friendly fixtures et cetera.

“That is something that we have started and something that we will continue to do to make sure we sell that message to our younger players.

“We want you to stay at Rangers Football Club and there is no need for you to go somewhere else.”

The January transfer window opens in a little over a month, providing Head Coach, Danny Röhl, with the first opportunity to add to his group of players.

Thelwell provided an insight into the recruitment process ahead of the market opening, adding: “You probably have a couple of days grace after the transfer window that finishes, but then the work really starts in earnest.

“That begins with a review and evaluation of the work that has been done so far.

“What did we do well in the window? What didn’t we do well? What can we learn from what we did or didn’t do? And then use that information and intelligence to move us forwards.

“It’s a slightly different situation for us in our context because we lost a Head Coach and we’ve appointed a new one in Danny.

“We’re very keen to ensure he is an integral part of that process going forwards.

"We spent a couple of weeks allowing Danny to evaluate the group and we had a big meeting this week to sit down and talk about his feelings on the group so far.

“We’ll use that information, plus the information from the owners and other sources, to start to plan for January, and we do expect to be fairly active.

“It’s important for me to say that while I, and others, do a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure we bring targets to the table that we think could improve the group, it’s really about Danny having the final say in these moments.

“It’s important as a Sporting Director that you don’t bring players that the Head Coach doesn’t want to sign off on, so it’s very much about us working together for Danny to have the final say.”

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