Ibrox target Cathro quits Valencia role
RANGERS managerial candidate Ian Cathro last night announced he is quitting Spanish club Valencia. The 28-year-old Scot features prominently on a five-man Ibrox shortlist. Former Brentford boss Mark Warburton remains strong favourite for the job, although last night he was being heavily linked to the vacant post at Sheffield Wednesday. Aberdeen’s Derek McInnes and former Nottingham Forest and Motherwell manager Billy Davies are also on the list of candidates, along with interim manager Stuart McCall. However, the desire of supporters for a bold appointment has forced the Rangers board to give serious consideration to Cathro. Concerns over his lack of
frontline managerial experience and the potential need for an older mentor figure remain the biggest obstacles to any appointment.
By announcing his departure from Spain for ‘family reasons’, availability or compensation are no longer issues.
Assistant to Nuno Espírito Santo after the pair met on a coaching course and agreed t o work together at Portuguese club Rio Ave before moving to Spain, Cathro released a statement last night saying: ‘I would like to thank Nuno for the opportunity to work with him in the top leagues in Portugal and Spain.
‘It has been a unique and hugely rewarding experience f or an ambitious Scottish coach. I wish Valencia success in the future.’
The statement continued by saying Cathro will ‘continue to develop his coaching career, while possibly considering a managerial role in the future’.
In a separate Ibrox development yesterday, Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct won an injunction against Rangers to prevent confidential information being revealed at today’s general meeting.
The injunction was obtained at the Chancery Division of London’s High Court after Sports Direct complained that information had already been leaked to the Press.
A judge ruled: ‘I am satisfied there is a real risk of disclosure t o morr o w of confidential information.’
Sports Direct owner Ashley, who has shares in Rangers and also owns Newcastle United, sent his lawyers to court after reports surfaced of what the judge was told was secret i nformation relating to commercial l i nks between t he c ompany and Rangers which, it was claimed in court, must have come from board members.
Rangers’ lawyers said there was no evidence as to the actual source of the leaks.
MASH Holdings, the company which holds Ashley’s nine per cent shareholding in Rangers, called for the general meeting to discuss the immediate repayment of a £5million loan made to the club and to identify why Rangers had been delisted from the stock exchange.
But chairman Dave King had threatened to use the meeting t o expose t he apparently unfavourable conditions relating to the retail deals.
Mrs Justice Asplin granted the injunction, however, saying if a breach of confidentiality occurred it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to quantify and compensate.
The Rangers Supporters Trust claims that court victory was an ‘ absurd spectacle’ and wants fellow fans to take action.
In a statement, it said: ‘ In his panic to stop Rangers fans from knowing definitively about his questionable dealings with our club, Mr Ashley has done them a valuable service.
‘There can now be no doubt that the Sports Direct contracts with Rangers are of benefit to one party and one party only.
‘ We call on the hundreds of thousands of Rangers fans who have already stopped purchasing official merchandise to continue to abstain from an arrangement which benefits only Mr Ashley.
‘We ask them to spread the word to their friends and family and those remaining few who may as yet not be aware of the disgraceful retail arrangements which are holding our club to ransom.
‘In the last accounts reported, the club received nothing from the retail agreement with Sports Direct.’
The Rangers board plan to take questions during today’s meeting, but will now be able to say little about the Sports Direct deals.
“It has been a rewarding experience”