Football Dec 07, 2025

Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell sacked: Rangers part company with chief executive and sporting director

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell sacked: Rangers part company with chief executive and sporting director

Rangers have sacked chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell.

In an exclusive interview with SportNews News, chairman Andrew Cavenagh said the club "need something different" to help move forward.

Stewart and Thelwell had come under pressure in recent months following a difficult start to the season, while questions were also raised over a number of summer signings.

In June, the duo appointed Russell Martin as head coach, but the club were forced to sack him after just 123 days - making him the shortest-serving boss in Rangers' 153-year history.

Thelwell also led Rangers' summer recruitment drive, sanctioning a deal worth up to £10m for Youssef Chermiti, plus moves for 11 others - resulting in a net spend of around £20m.

Former Everton chief Thelwell - who started at Ibrox in June - was also questioned for appointing a number of former colleagues, including Dan Purdy as technical director, Jonathan Hunter-Barrett as academy director and his son Robbie as head of recruitment.

However, Cavenagh confirmed to SportNews News none of the additional appointments are expected to depart Ibrox following the dismissals of Stewart and Thelwell.

He added: "Everybody who's contributing to the club has the chance to stay. In a high-performing organisation, everybody is accountable, and that starts with Paraag [Marathe, vice chairman] and myself and goes all the way through the organisation."

While Thelwell's hiring was announced prior to the US takeover of the club, Cavenagh did confirm he sanctioned the appointment.

Stewart - who joined last December following a spell at Manchester United - and Thelwell were also involved in the process to appoint current head coach Danny Röhl, which was widely criticised following attempts to land Steven Gerrard and Kevin Muscat.

Cavenagh confirmed the search for replacements has already begun, and he is leading the process alongside Marathe, with director Fraser Thornton taking on the role as acting CEO.

In an exclusive interview with SportNews News, he said: "Paraag and I have analysed the club's needs, and as we reflect on what the club needs today, and where Kevin and Patrick are, we think we need something different."

When asked what had changed after backing the duo last month, he added: "Our focus the first part of this season, the first part of our ownership period, has been on the sporting side and that's where all of our attention went to for obvious reasons.

"With Danny coming in, he has started to improve the on-pitch performance, and that has created the space to allow Paraag and I to look at other parts of the club with new eyes and assess what we need going forward.

"I think responsible change has to be measured. I don't think you can come in and tear something completely apart all at once. You're likely to get something wrong.

"It's very common when new ownership comes into a club that changes are made. We've taken six months to make these changes. We believe they're the right changes for the club going forward, and I think our supporters would understand that."

When asked about the search process, Cavenagh confirmed meetings with candidates had already started and added: "Our focus, as you would hope and expect, is on quality and fit and not on speed, so it might take us a little bit of time.

"We have positioned the club with Fraser coming in as the acting CEO so that we can allow ourselves the time to make the right choice, but we know that some of the people we're talking to are in other positions and they may have notice periods, and we want to make sure that we're absolutely ready as we head into the spring and summer.

"The most important thing for anyone in this club is to have an appreciation for and understand the club.

"You can do that without having grown up in the club, and I actually think Danny is a great example of that.

"I think he gets it and the fans get him, so I think it's possible to create that relationship without having been in this club, but our executives must understand what it is to be a part of this club and what it means to our supporters."

Tags:

football news id:13474793

Share this article

Related Posts

Spurs 1-0 Everton: Joao Palhinha scores winner as Tottenham seal Premier League survival on final day

Spurs 1-0 Everton: Joao Palhinha scores winner as Tottenham seal Premier League survival on final day

Tottenham secured their Premier League status with a 1-0 final-day win over toothless Everton thanks to Joao Palhinha's first-half goal. The threat of...

Tottenham Hotspur: How Spurs' hierarchy are trying to transform club amid Premier League relegation battle

Tottenham Hotspur: How Spurs' hierarchy are trying to transform club amid Premier League relegation battle

Despite Tottenham's Premier League survival on the final day, this will go down as probably their worst season in modern history.Not only on the pitch...

Man Utd: Michael Carrick chosen to end Premier League title drought - but is he capable of taking the team to the top?

Man Utd: Michael Carrick chosen to end Premier League title drought - but is he capable of taking the team to the top?

Manchester United have two years to meet their ambitious goal of winning the Premier League title by 2028. Chief executive Omar Berrarda stood by the...

Ref Watch LIVE! Premier League, Scottish Premiership and EFL incidents analysed by Dermot Gallagher and Tim Sherwood

Ref Watch LIVE! Premier League, Scottish Premiership and EFL incidents analysed by Dermot Gallagher and Tim Sherwood

Juventus rivalling Spurs for Liverpool's RobertsonJuventus have made a move for Andy Robertson in an attempt to rival Tottenham's interest, according...

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen among star names club could sell after Premier League relegation - Paper Talk

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen among star names club could sell after Premier League relegation - Paper Talk

The top stories and transfer rumours from Monday's newspapers...West Ham face a summer of £100m debts and a player fire sale after relegation. Jarrod...

Pep Guardiola leaves Man City: How club have planned for the departure of one of the Premier League's managerial greats

Pep Guardiola leaves Man City: How club have planned for the departure of one of the Premier League's managerial greats

There are two common schools of thought about how Manchester City might go about transitioning away from a coach that has defined an unprecedented dec...