EXCLUSIVE
FROM his office that overlooks the pitches at the Hummel Training Centre, Mark Allen can keep his eye on everything to do with Rangers’ football operation.
He may not be able to see into the future, but he is confident that it will be bright for a club that had gone through more than its fair share of dark days before his arrival last summer.
With new personnel and strategies in place on and off the park, Allen has every piece of information he needs at his fingertips. When he glances out of his window, the lush green parks in view are the fields of dreams for a generation of Ibrox hopefuls.
The successes or failures of Steven Gerrard’s side this season will shape the opinions of supporters and will form the judgements on everyone from the Liverpool legend down through the trail of responsibility.
It is Allen that is above him, though. Where Gerrard can afford to focus week to week, game to game, the director of football must be able to stand back and look at the bigger picture.
The academy system at Rangers was underfunded and understaffed during the barren years as a once-in-alifetime opportunity was spurned and cash was burned on overpaid players throughout their climb back from the Third Division.
The steps to make up for lost time started before Allen was appointed last summer but the efforts continue to be make sure that the managers of Rangers Football Club believe in youth development. Then, the pathway has been created and it is down to the player to tread the boards.
“I don’t see any reason why this can’t be a successful operation but what we need to get right is all the things that support it so the recruitment has to be right, the sports science has to be right, the analytics has to be right, the coaching has to be right. Everything has to be of the level that gives the best environment for a young player to develop.”
It is, of course, one thing being able to impress at youth level and work your way up through the ranks,
One of the significant factors was someone who believed in youth