WOTTE A WASTE
Rangers could have appointed a director of football in 2015, claims ex-SFA chief
RANGERS have been accused by former director of football candidate Mark Wotte of failing in their rebuilding process and pursuit of Celtic with a short-sighted approach.
The former SFA performance director fears that the Ibrox club’s ambitions have been held back two years because of the decision not to press ahead with creating a structure of head coach and director of football.
That is now the prime objective of chairman Dave King and an Ibrox board examining a host of candidates for the posts in the wake of manager Mark Warburton’s departure.
Rangers will make moves this week aimed at filling the newly-created vacancy by approaching those on their director of football shortlist. Some candidates were considered nearly two years ago.
However, the concept was shelved as an option in the spring of 2015 when the Ibrox club decided to reconstruct its football department around Warburton, David Weir and recruitment chief Frank McParland.
Ahead of a runaway Championship title success, Rangers banked on the traditional manager option — after Wotte had held talks with director Paul Murray.
‘I think Rangers missed a chance,’ stated the Dutchman. ‘It was short-sighted back then not to appoint a director of football, whether it was me or someone else.
‘I know Paul Murray was a great admirer of the organisation of a director of football. We met in his office and he asked me how it worked, how we did at Southampton, my work in the position at Feyenoord.
‘He never promised or offered me the job but he picked my brains and you might think he was close to Dave King. But it wasn’t a problem. I learned the club didn’t need a director of football and we left it at that.’
Rangers hope to speak about the position with favoured candidates over the next few days. They are understood to include Huddersfield’s director of scouting and recruitment Stuart Webber and Spurs’ head of recruitment Paul Mitchell.
Ross Wilson, a Scot who formerly worked at Falkirk’s academy, is director of scouting and recruitment at Southampton and is also in the frame, as is former Rangers manager Alex McLeish.