Inside the Rangers takeover as Andrew Cavenagh lifts lid on life-changing phonecall and names three reasons he said yes

Daily Record

5 days ago

The new chairman met the media after the club's EGM and revealed why he has taken on the challenge
The Big Apple Bears Rangers Supporters club in New York was just a short cab ride away on 1st Avenue.
If Andrew Cavenagh had known - he might have popped in for a pint to celebrate.
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Because it wasn't far away in a Manhattan cafe back in October that he got the call he says changed his life.
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A New York banker, Les Allan, phoned him shortly before Cavenagh was going to a baseball game at the Yankees stadium.
Little did he know at that point that Ibrox in Glasgow would soon become his new favourite sports ground.
Almost immediately, Cavenagh got in touch with Paraag Marathe at the San Francisco 49ers and the wheels were set in motion for their Rangers takeover.
The health insurance billionaire went face-to-face with Gers punters at the club's EGM where their 51 percent purchase of the club was rubber-stamped.
Cavenagh spoke impressively to shareholders at a city hotel, with authority, decisiveness and humour.
After that, he headed for Govan to meet the media. And the 68-year-old didn't just lay out his plans to make Rangers the number one club in Scotland again.
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He talked passionately about being blown away by Ibrox and its fanbase. He revealed that going to Celtic Park for a 3-2 victory in March was one of the best experiences of his life.
And of course, Cavenagh recalled the moment he was first asked if he'd be interested in taking charge of Rangers.
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He said: 'I was on the upper east side of Manhattan outside a coffee shop about to go to a New York Yankees game. I've known about Rangers forever as a football fan.
'So when the phone call came to ask if I'd have an interest, it was a lightning bolt moment for me. The call was from Les, a banker in New York. I had met him six months prior and he knew our group was interested in a rare but good opportunity in football.
'Les called me and I said absolutely. Three seconds later I was on the phone to Paraag. There are many things about this club that are attractive.
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'But the big three are the supporters - the breadth and depth of the fanbase is incredible. We've not seen many other clubs in Europe with this sort of scope and passion.
'Ibrox is an incredibly magical place to attend as a supporter. And the competitions in which we play, the league, the cups and Europe.
'It's a physical experience when you walk upstairs at Ibrox. You walk up the marble stairs to the Blue Room and in the trophy room in particular you can just feel the history.
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'There's no other way to describe it. You walk in and instantly feel indebted to the people who have come before you.
'But you also have the desire to do everything you possibly can, not just to improve the history, but also improve the trajectory.'
This isn't a deal Cavenagh, his investment group and the San Francisco 49ers have rushed into. From that first call in October, it took eight months to get the deal over the line.
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But in that time, the American has been learning about Rangers, their supporters and the club's heritage. He's seen Ibrox at its best, on European nights against Fenerbahce and Athletic Bilbao - and at its worst when fans staged a protest before a St Johnstone game.
He says he's ready for any future flak that might come his way if things go wrong. And in terms of the club's intense rivalry with Celtic, he got a first hand experience of it when Barry Ferguson's team pulled off a rare victory there towards the end of last season.
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Cavenagh said: 'Look, I've been a football fan all my life. I've been to five World Cups and five European Championships. I've been to countless matches. I did 14 new stadiums in the last year.
'The last few months have been an incredible experience for me. One of my favourite moments in life is the five minutes before the match kicks off when you can feel the electricity.
'I was lucky to go to the match at Parkhead and it was incredible. I learned a couple of new phrases and gestures when I was there but it was a fantastic experience.
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'It was the first match where our fans were allowed back in and we had 2500 fans there. But they were incredibly loud and vocal in showing their support.
'It was one of the best football experiences of my life. Am I ready for criticism at some point? Well, I was a goalkeeper growing up and we had a play-off match.
'My coach said everyone is going to make mistakes today but there's a special thing that keeps track of yours - it's called a scoreboard.
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'Being a keeper teaches you that you can have big moments where you have to make big decisions - and you have to live with the ones you get wrong. So I'm prepared.'
Cavenagh's first job was to play his part in appointing a new head coach at Ibrox and he chose Russell Martin ahead of other candidates.
So what was it about the former Southampton boss that made him the right fit for Rangers. Cavenagh is convinced he's got the right man.
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He said: 'There were four criteria we looked at for head coach. One, somebody that would coach what we think is the right style of play or game model.
'Two, someone would build the culture and the way we think it needs to be built. Three, someone who will develop talent. And four, someone who will win matches.
'Russell was the standout across all of those metrics, unanimously among our team. And we are thrilled to have him as our head coach.'
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But Martin will be judged on results, both domestically and in Europe. Earlier in the day at the EGM, Marathe told fans there will be no honeymoon period for the new gaffer.
And he's already been faced with the huge task of getting past Panathinaikos in a Champions League qualifier next month.
You get the impression that Cavenagh isn't here for Europa League football.
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He wants to dine at Europe's top table but insists it's NOT imperative that Martin and his team reach the group stage this season.
He said: 'I look at this pretty simply - we have plans for anything. It's not as if we're banking on that (CL qualification) and if it doesn't happen then there is some sort of a problem.
'That is not the case at all. But it IS our goal. As we increase revenue, which comes from the Champions League, then we get to re-invest that in the club.
'That is why it's the goal from both a sporting perspective and the revenue model perspective. We'll try to get that every year but we have to get through three sets of matches and that won't be easy. But it's important because it brings more revenue. It will always be our benchmark.'