Rangers Set to Sack Sporting Director Kevin Thelwell Just Days After Russell Martin Sacking – Replacement Named Immediately
Glasgow, October 14, 2025 – Rangers Football Club is set to dismiss sporting director Kevin Thelwell just days after sacking head coach Russell Martin, as the club scrambles to address its deepening crisis in the Scottish Premiership.
Martin’s exit on October 5 followed a dismal 1-1 draw at Falkirk, leaving Rangers stuck in eighth place with only one league win from seven games. His 123-day stint, the shortest in the club’s 153-year history, was plagued by a 9-1 Champions League thrashing by Club Brugge and fan protests that turned chaotic, with supporters blockading the team bus and requiring police intervention. Despite a £20m net summer spend on 13 new players, results tanked, prompting chairman Andrew Cavenagh and US owners, including San Francisco 49ers executive Paraag Marathe, to make a ruthless call.
Thelwell, who joined from Everton in April, is now on the chopping block. Tasked with revamping recruitment and club culture, the 51-year-old backed Martin’s possession-based approach and oversaw signings like an £8m striker who failed to deliver. Fan anger boiled over with accusations of nepotism after Thelwell appointed his 26-year-old son, Robbie, as head of recruitment in early October – a move slammed as “shocking” by pundits amid the team’s struggles. Supporters on hotlines and forums branded Thelwell “clueless,” accusing him of treating Rangers like a “cash cow.”
In a rapid response, Rangers have named Dan Purdy, the current technical director and Thelwell’s former Everton colleague, as interim sporting director. At 42, Purdy brings data-driven expertise from his time at Wolves and Everton, where he helped navigate financial constraints. He will report directly to Cavenagh, focusing on January signings and the search for a permanent manager. No official announcement is expected until after the international break, but Purdy’s role aims to steady the ship before Saturday’s match against Dundee United.
This double sacking highlights Rangers’ turmoil under new ownership. With Celtic nine points ahead and Europa League hopes fading, Purdy faces a daunting task to stabilize a squad mixing youth, like loaned Tottenham star Mikey Moore, with veterans. Fans, exhausted by four sackings in three years, demand a return to title contention – not more upheaval.
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