What can Rangers fans expect from Crichton?

BBC News

14 hours ago

After securing back-to-back domestic cup doubles, and narrowly missing out on the league title two years in a row, Jo Potter left Rangers on a high. And it's fair to say Leanne Crichton will have big boots to fill as she takes over as manager of the Glasgow club. BBC Scotland have taken a look at what Rangers fans can expect from their new boss.
Scottish knowledge
As far as the Scottish game is concerned, Crichton has been there, seen it, done it and bought the t-shirt. During her time as a player at Glasgow City, she helped the club snag three domestic trebles in a row and reached the UWCL quarter-finals not once, but twice, in a City shirt. The midfielder also spent time with Celtic, Hibs and Motherwell during her playing career before switching to the dugout. The 37-year-old has also been a key player in driving the women's game forward in Scotland off the pitch and has become a regular television and radio pundit across the BBC.
International experience galore
At international level, Crichton earned 72 caps for the national team and scored three goals in those outings. She was in the first SWNT squad to appear in a major tournament back at Euro 2017 and was selected again for the World Cup in 2019 - albeit Scotland didn't make it out of the group stage. The midfielder continued to play up until as recently as 2020, having earned her first senior cap in 2009 following several successful years with the Under-19s.
In the dug out
Crichton's not lacking in managerial experience either, and while she's not faced the challenge of managing an SWPL side outright, she has a wealth of assistant manager experience. She earned her UEFA B Licence in 2017 and was issued her A Licence in 2022. After leaving Glasgow City in 2021, Crichton joined up with Motherwell as a player-coach before officially hanging up her boots the following campaign. As part of her role at K-Park, Crichton helped the side to two successive seventh-place finishes in the top division as well as a Scottish Cup semi-final appearance at Hampden. She returned to Glasgow City last year as assistant first team coach to former teammate Leanne Ross. She helped guide City to a second-place SWPL finish, narrowly missing out on the trophy, as they also secured a spot in the UWCL qualifiers for the 2025/26 season.