Andrew Cavenagh Reflects on a Turbulent First Year at Rangers
Andrew Cavenagh leans into the word before he says it.
“Rangers occupies 150% of my thoughts.”
A year on from leading the consortium that took control at Ibrox, the American businessman is standing in the middle of a club that has spent big, changed direction repeatedly and finished the season with nothing to show for it but regret and resolve.
No trophies. No sugar-coating.
A turbulent first year
Twelve months ago, Rangers announced that a group of investors fronted by Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises had secured a majority stake. It was sold as a reset, a modern, data-driven era backed by serious money and NFL know-how.
The reality has been messy.
Russell Martin arrived as head coach in June. By October, he was gone. The clear-out did not stop there. Chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell were both dismissed the following month as the new regime tore up its own first draft.
Danny Rohl stepped into the chaos and, for a while, dragged Rangers back into the title race. Ibrox stirred, belief flickered, the season threatened to turn. Then came the collapse: four defeats in the final five games and any lingering hope of silverware evaporated.
For a club that spent up to £40m on players, the outcome cut deep.
Cavenagh has not tried to hide from that. He described the campaign as “incredibly disappointing” and one that “has left a terrible taste in everyone's mouths”, repeating the same blunt assessment he gave to BBC Scotland last week.
‘Why bother?’ The answer is instant
Given the money, the upheaval and the glare that comes with Rangers, the obvious question followed: had he ever wondered why he bothered?
“No, is the answer,” Cavenagh said, without pause.
“This club gets into you at the molecular level. And, once it's done, you're done. It's happened to me and a bunch of us.
“I don't ever want to use the words ‘enjoy’ or ‘fun’ because you can't have a season like we've had and use those words.
“But the challenge is something I relish and Paraag [Marathe] relishes with the rest of us.
“The disappointment this year is very real for us, but all it's done is provide motivation for us going forward.”
There is no attempt to dress the season up as a near miss. No talk of “foundations” or “positives to build on”. Just the belief that feeling this low now will sharpen the hunger when success finally comes.
Cavenagh is convinced that tasting failure will “spur us on to where we want to get to” and “make success sweeter”.
Face-to-face with the anger
If the first year has tested Rangers on the pitch, it has also tested the new hierarchy off it. Cavenagh has not hidden in a directors’ box or behind statements. He has walked into the noise.
He has spoken publicly with match-going supporters at several games, most recently at Falkirk on the final day of the season. It has not always been comfortable, but he has invited it.
“My conversations with our supporters, I've really come to enjoy,” he said.
“Someone told me I should get to know them on a one-by-one basis. At Falkirk, that probably wasn't the right medium to do that.
“But whether it's in the stands or the streets, we all share certain things like the ambition to win and the understanding that we're not good enough.
“The common goal is the same so there's common ground in those conversations even if there are disagreements over methods.”
That line – “the understanding that we're not good enough” – lands with the weight of the season behind it. It is an admission, but also a challenge. To the board. To the players. To himself.
The money has been spent. The patience has been tested. The excuses have run out.
What happens next will decide whether this first year is remembered as a painful misstep or the jolt that forced Rangers’ new era to grow up fast.
