KEVIN THELWELL insists Russell Martin is the PERFECT Rangers boss.
The Ibrox sporting director played a major part in the appointment of the 39-year-old.
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The former Everton recruitment chief held a series of talks with Martin and firmly believes he’s ideally suited to the job.
Thelwell said: “Through a very stringent and very thorough process, it was clear right from the very start to all of us that Russell was the outstanding candidate and we’re absolutely delighted that he’s decided to join us.
“He’s had a strong career now, over 250 games, both as a manager and as a head coach.
“We can all see over the course of that journey, he’s sharpened his approach, not only from a technical perspective and a tactical perspective, but also from a personal perspective.
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“I’m delighted that he’s going to join us.
“I’m very excited to see what he’s going to bring to Rangers Football Club and the team and very much looking forward to working with him going forward.
“We wanted to use the time well and make sure we made as strong of a decision as we possibly could do.
“I think it was the right decision to do that.
“We appreciate there’s now pre-season on the horizon and also European games coming thick and fast.
“But we think that by using that time we got exactly the right candidate that’s the perfect fit for Rangers Football Club.
“From my perspective, I’ve seen Russell’s team play for many years and in particular if I look back at that Championship season that’s just been referenced and also the Premier League season, there’s a lot to be proud of there and there’s a lot that fits Rangers Football Club going forwards.
“Russell’s explained quite clearly about what we think Rangers Football Club needs to be in those games.
“We need to be dominating in all moments, all of those key moments of the game.
“When we’ve got it, when we haven’t got it and then the transition bits in between.
“I’m delighted that we were able to have those conversations, delighted that you made it slightly easier for me with the negotiations and also very, very pleased that you’re sat next to me now and getting ready to work.”
Thelwell only started work officially on Monday but plans to have a close working relationship with Martin over signings.
He added: “Put very simply, the way in which we will be organised is we’ve got a head coach and we’ve got a sporting director.
“Head coaches are responsible for the most important bit, preparation of the team, performance of the team, fundamentally the results.
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“My role is to try and make sure that all the support services that sit around Russell are as strong as they possibly can be to give us the best chance of winning.
“When we talk about recruitment, clearly it’s going to be a collaborative approach.
“I’ve never been in this role ever where I’ve signed a player for the first team that hasn’t been supported by the head coach or the manager.
“So we’ll talk a lot about how we want to play.
“We’ll talk a lot about what profiles we think we need and what positions we think we need. And then between Russell and I and the recruitment team, we’ll sit down and identify players that we think can make us better very quickly.
“And then between us, we’ll decide about what we do next from that point of perspective.
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“That’s generally how I’ve worked and generally how we’ve discussed how it’s going to work. And for me, that’s probably been a good way of working so that we’ve got some clarity.
“But then also, it’s understood it’s a collaborative approach where we work together to get the best outcome.”
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