Gers will want to cut out and keep Wilson

It’s unlikely there will be Rangers fans wanting a cardboard cut out of the guy who can be worshipped one minute then punched on the chops if he dares to shoot the craw.

But the prolific Ibrox merchandise department really should get going on the Ross Wilson version – as the sporting director is quickly becoming a far more important figure at the club than any manager.

And he has shown Celtic the benefit of having someone who knows what he’s doing in such a key role.

Rangers might not have their new gaffer in the dugout at Hampden today but that’s more to do with some knuckle draggers in England’s electorate than the speed of Wilson’s work.

The Gers wheeler and dealer could not have moved much quicker as he had Giovanni van Bronckhorst in a club tie within a week of Steven Gerrard’s midnight flit.

That’s good going.

You only need to look to Glasgow’s East End to see how hard it can be to get a boss in place.

By the time Celtic completed their search for Neil Lennon’s successor, we’d lost another chunk of the polar ice caps the size of Shetland.

It’s no surprise with Wilson though.

He was a top operator at Southampton. He might not get the cut out carry on but he’s been a major part of the club’s resurgence.

Sure, Gerrard deserves the credit for delivering the title in the nick of time. But he wouldn’t have been able to get close if it wasn’t for the generosity of the Gers board and the deals done by Wilson.

Then, when the time came to find a manager pronto, the groundwork had already been done by a guy who could see the warning signs.

Rangers don’t give much away – or allow anyone to ask them any questions – but it’s clear van Bronckhorst would have been getting the flowers and chocolates treatment from back when Gerrard was gushing about the Toon

WILSON

Army and pointing the finger upstairs at failing to beat 10-man Malmo in the Champions League.

All it took was the drafting of a contract to land a new boss.

Some rather, erm, interesting ideas come out of the Ibrox boardroom these days but the sporting director’s department is functioning like a proper football club.

Bizarrely there’s some folk who try to stick the blame for not selling players at Wilson’s door.

It seems a bit daft. There’s not much that Wilson can do if the calls don’t come in or the bids aren’t up to scratch.

It’s his gig to help smooth the wheels of recruitment and no one can argue with the results.

Gers have consistently done their business early and decisively.

They’ve had to reel it in this season but last summer Gerrard practically had his whole squad in for the first day of pre-season.

It was some contrast to Celtic who were still scrambling for loan deals at the last minute.

Wilson will need to use his full tool box in the coming months as it looks like van Bronckhorst will need to sell before he can seriously buy.

But at least he’s got a suit in the corner who knows what he’s doing.

The new manager has the credentials to continue the work Gerrard started and he’ll have an idea who he wants to bring in if some of the stars follow their old gaffer out the door.

Rangers should be more worried about some EPL outfit coming in and pinching their sporting director – because it’s clear this is not a job for a cardboard imitation.

key role

He smooths wheels of recruitment and no one can argue with results