Andrew Cavenagh: Why Rangers and why Russell Martin

The Herald Scotland

6 days ago

All four resolutions at the meeting, held at the Doubletree by Hilton at Glasgow Central, were passed, and that means unrestricted investment is now permitted, beyond the ten per cent cap which was in place following the previous AGM.
Cavenagh was asked whether he was looking to make a return on his investment and insisted he has no exit plan, just a growth one.
The health tycoon was quizzed on a host of other issues, including his motivations for coming to Scotland and Rangers, and why Russell Martin was the best choice as manager.
On the former, the businessman explained there were four factors attracting him to the club.
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Explaining where he was when he took the phone call that 'changed his life', 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. The call was from Les Allan, 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. 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."
He has taken in games at Ibrox while the takeover talks progressed, so already has plenty of experience of what it feels like to take in that famous atmosphere on a matchday.
Like many before him, he was captivated by the historic stadium.
'It's a physical experience when you walk upstairs at Ibrox," he explained. You walk up the marble stairs to the Blue Room, and in the trophy room in particular, you can just feel the history. 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 to improve the trajectory."
Rangers fans want to see ambition and are enthused by the fact that, so far, that is what the new faces are showing.
Paraag Marathe (middle, left) is the new Rangers vice-chairman (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group)
Cavenagh and new vice-chairman Paraag Marathe want to return the club to the very top of the Scottish game. He insists they wouldn't be here for any other reason.
But at the same time, he acknowledges that it will be hard work and will not happen overnight.
"There is real work to be done, I think everyone is aware of that," he said. "Paraag and I are two of the least patient people you will meet and we are also incredibly competitive, so we share our supporters' sense of urgency. We are in with both feet today, and we will move this forward as fast as we can.
"We relish that challenge. We are impatient, we are competitive, and so we look forward to the challenge. In terms of the rivalry, I think rivalry is one of the things that makes football great. Our rivalry with Celtic, Rangers wouldn't quite be the same without that rivalry. It's top five in the world. Boca-River Plate, Lazio-Roma, Celtic-Rangers, those would be the three that come to mind. It's fantastic to have that rivalry. And we look forward to the challenge.'
Asked how far away those dreams are, he added: 'I would give you the simple answer, which is we have been finishing second and we would like to finish first. We are one position away from where we would like to be.
"We think it is achievable, or we wouldn't be here. We don't think it will be easy. It is not going to happen instantaneously but we will strive to improve the on-field performance and we will continue to build the infrastructure of the club. If we didn't think we could win, we wouldn't be here. We are here because we think we can."