Rangers takeover hype skyrockets with key to 49ers success at Leeds named as Ibrox legend issues one big warning

Rangers are close to finalising a deal that would see 49ers Enterprises join Andrew Cavenagh in taking a controlling stake and Dave MacKinnon – who has top level experience on the pitch and in the boardroom – gives us his insight.

Dave MacKinnon has been at the sharp end of some of Scotland’s biggest clubs – on and off the park.

From changing rooms in a playing career at Rangers, Kilmarnock, Dundee, Airdrie and Partick Thistle to boardrooms as general manager of Killie and chief executive of Dundee and latterly Morton.

Few people have as comprehensive a view of exactly what the politics inside Scottish football’s great and good look like from both the pitch and the directors’ box.

And one thing MacKinnon reckons is missing too often in the modern day boardroom is a grasp of the most fundamental aspect of it all.

That no matter how much the sport has become big business these institutions are still FOOTBALL clubs first and foremost.

It’s something the 68-year-old fears has been lost on Rangers in recent years. Filling key positions with figures more skilled in securing commercial deals and investment than a knowledge of what it takes to be rich in success and silverware.

MacKinnon made 177 appearances for the Ibrox club in four years between 1982 and 1986 under greats such as John Greig, Jock Wallace and for a short while Graeme Souness.

His contacts in the game stretch the length and breadth of Britain – and beyond. That includes to Elland Road, Leeds, where 49ers Enterprises have successfully restored their first UK soccer venture to the Premier League under the watchful eye of chairman Paraag Marathe.

Now, as the US heavyweights close in on a takeover deal at Ibrox alongside healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh, MacKinnon has real hope his old club could be about to turn a corner on the park after years of lagging further and further behind Celtic.

These guys might be big business figures. But MacKinnon believes the secret of their sporting success has been surrounding themselves with experts in their field. Specialists such as former Bolton and Iceland star Gretar Steinsson who is already playing a part in Rangers hunt for a new manager.

Speaking to Mail Sport, MacKinnon said: “It’s a new era. Rangers have been in the doldrums a wee and one of the things the fans need is a vision and an expectation of what’s going to be delivered.

“The current board have done very well in their investments but the structure within the club and the recruitment over the last few years has not been to the standard expected.

“I think that’s partly because the previous chief executive James Bisgrove was designed for bringing revenue and a commercial aspect into the club.

“But clubs cannot forget that they are football clubs. You can bring in millions commercially. But at Rangers, unless you’re delivering on the park with titles, winning cups, performing well in Europe, you can forget about the rest.

“Rangers supporters have been very loyal over the years, they demand success on the park and whilst they like commercial deals and seeing their club in a positive place in respect of commercial deals, that is completely irrelevant unless they are performing on the park.

“Over the years they became focused on commercial activities rather than the football infrastructure. That has been eroded.

“Now there’s a fresh vision hopefully coming in. I know some prominent people at Leeds United. They have been quite impressed with the way it’s been run under the owners.

“Good investors understand that they’re not good at everything. They bring in specialists in different areas that understand the game.

“My understanding of the people within the Leeds organisation is that they quickly realised that they needed people with the football knowledge to make things happen.

“You need to align everything within a football club – the objectives of the board, the football management, the commercial side, the fans.

“If they all work together and understand the part they can play in success, then you get success.

“That’s what I’ve heard these guys do. That’s a real positive because unless you get the football side right, you can forget the rest.”

Appointing a permanent successor to Philippe Clement is the biggest call facing the club right now.

But equally important is this summer’s recruitment drive. An area MacKinnon insists needs shaken up.

He said: “Recent recruitment was based a lot on statistics and that sounds great, but ultimately you have to bring players in that fit in with the system, players that are comfortable playing under pressure and in front of huge crowds with big expectations.

“A lot of players can’t deal with that. When you recruit players solely on statistics, you don’t get to know their DNA and what their mental strength is.

“I used to be a defender, I look at the defensive capabilities and I think they have been slightly overlooked in recruitment. If you can’t defend, first and foremost, then ultimately you’re not going to perform to the standards expected.

“For a period players were signed purely on their sell-on value. That’s a great model, if it works, but you have to include everything in that to make it work.

“When you look at some of the players that left because they ran down their contract, that’s another key point of recruitment.

“If you do have a desire to sell them on, then you have to ensure that you get their contract into such a position that allows you to maximise their value.

“You’d expect there will be an overhaul in the coming weeks. There’s good players there, but there’s also some players I think that can’t step up. Recruitment has to be the big priority.”

(Image: SNS Group)

However, MacKinnon has warned Rangers fans not to expect instant success when the US takeover at Ibrox finally goes through.

With Celtic so far in front, the former Ibrox defender reckons it will be two years before the club can hit the heights they want.

He said: “It’s a difficult one, it’s not going to happen overnight. There’s maybe an expectation that the new guys will come in and they’ll win the league next season.

“I don’t believe that’s going to happen, I think it’s going to take two seasons to get to where they want.

“If fans see 100 per cent commitment on the park, playing for the jerseys as they used to call it then, I think they’ll forgive a lot.

“But I see some things when I’m watching the team and I think, ‘for goodness sake you never get away with that’. Fans are not stupid.

“I know people at Leeds and the owners have put a structure in place and that’s the big thing, you need to align the club from top to bottom.

“You must make sure the football side is right because if it’s not then you can forget about the rest.

“That has to be the priority – and these guys coming in know that. But it takes time.

“There’s going to be a churn of players. Within the team there’s probably seven or eight who are capable of achieving what the club desires. There’s three or four that don’t.

“I certainly expect there will be an improvement next season. It’s a big job though and, again, it will take time.”