Having been appointed as Mark Warburton’s successor at Rangers this month, Pedro Caixinha has either decided to (or been told to) appoint a true Rangers man as his assistant.
To be fair, this looks like a really good idea and it is a tactic which has been used to good effect before with David Weir and Ally McCoist the most recent custodians of the role. The latest name in the frame is that of former midfield player, Alex Rae. The ex-Millwall, Wolves and Rangers player has been in-and-out of management for the last ten years. Short spells as boss at Dundee and St Mirren have not proven to be successful and a position such as this one could be ideal for the Glaswegian.
With a coaching appointment seemingly the most important piece of business right now, it seems Rangers have been less concerned with appointing a Director of Football than they were after when Warburton left. The appointment of Rae could probably change Rangers’ approach and Rangers might step up their pursuit of a DoF.
Paul Mitchell was employed as Tottenham Hotspur’s Head of Recruitment but has now been released by the club after he served a 16-month notice period.
One of those possible future roles might be at Ibrox, where at just 35-years of age, Mitchell could become one of the youngest Director of Football appointments at a European club of this size. Having had a playing career with permanent spells at Wigan Athletic and MK Dons, and loan spells at Halifax and Swindon, Mitchell retired prematurely while at MK Dons back in 2008 owing to a leg break. He went on to be the club’s Head of Recruitment at a time when Alex Rae moved from being a player to being an assistant coach.
The affinity these two share is an important factor; an already established connection and working relationship could prove crucial in helping the new Portuguese head coach settle down at Glasgow and get his head around more important things at the club.
Despite recent woes, much is still expected of Rangers. The fans are desperate for improvement and the board would know this too well. Hence, they are making good strides in appointing the right people to take the club forward.
Both Rae and Mitchell would be great appointments for the Gers and hence moving for Rae appears wise. From there, should they land Mitchell as well, the future may well be rosy.