Rangers fans may be underwhelmed by the appointment of Russell Martin but he may yet bring a touch of glitz and glamour to the club… if his girlfriend decides to take in the Ibrox atmosphere.
Martin is in a relationship with former glamour model Lucy Pinder.
Pinder, who is a Southampton supporter, rose to fame appearing in men’s magazines in the early 2000s and also featured in the 2012 comedy horror Strippers v Werewolves.
The 41-year-old was once ranked among the 100 Sexiest Women in the World by FHM magazine and has also appeared in Celebrity Big Brother and cooking reality show Hell’s Kitchen.
Fans warned ‘moneyball’ approach won’t bring instant success
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire fears there is likely to be friction between new Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and the club’s fanbase over the method of travel used to try to take the Ibrox club back to the top of the Scottish game.
Leading academic Maguire, who runs the popular Price of Football podcast, is broadly of the view that the US-takeover led by Cavenagh and the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers is a good thing for the Govan outfit in the wake of a desperately disappointing – and trophyless – season.
Russell Martin’s girlfriend, Lucy Pinder, could bring glamour to Ibrox if she makes an appearance
Former glamour model Pinder appeared in men’s magazine like Nuts and FHM in early 2000s
Rangers new American owners are likely to opt for a ‘Moneyball’ approach this summer
However, he warns that the approach medical insurance tycoon Cavenagh and his colleagues are likely to use to make steady, structured and sustainable progress at Rangers is likely to rankle with an element of the support that will always demand immediate success.
‘My understanding is that Rangers want to go down more of an analytical route, more of a Moneyball approach,’ said Maguire.
‘That won’t necessarily go down well with Rangers fans because I think it is a very, very impatient fanbase. Being second is being nowhere as far as Glasgow is concerned.
‘Yes, there will be a more arithmetic approach taken, but trying to take the noise out of the situation, trying to take the emotion out of decisions when it comes to Glasgow football will be a really tough task for the senior management.
‘They’ve also got Patrick Stewart there, ex of Manchester United, so he is used to dealing with the challenges that come with being a big club.’
Maguire, though, believes Cavenagh has the potential to be an effective figurehead as long as he can make quick inroads into developing a particular culture around Rangers.
‘I think he has the capacity to ignore the noise because he is not necessarily based in Glasgow, so, therefore, he can make decisions from afar.’ Maguire told talkSPORT.
‘There’s an awful lot of catching up to do. Celtic are extremely well run on and off the pitch, so, unless you get the culture of the club right, you are going to struggle. That’s where Andrew Cavenagh needs to make a difference.’
New club chairman Andrew Cavenagh (right) can be an effective figurehead at Rangers
Leeds winger Ramazani, meanwhile, has been linked with a loan move to Rangers
Leeds misift Ramazani linked with loan switch to Rangers
The takeover of Rangers by a US-based consortium, including Paraag Marathe’s 49ers Enterprises, raised questions about a potential conflict of interest.
After all, Marathe has been installed as Rangers’ vice-chairman, despite already being chairman of Leeds United, who are owned by his company.
Advised that the two clubs were to be run as separate entities, the Scottish FA were satisfied that there were no dual-ownership issues and therefore approved the deal.
But the businessmen involved are only human, there will be arrangements that are of benefit to both clubs and transferring players from one to the other will not be difficult.
Formal partnership or no formal partnership, speculation linking Leeds’ fringe players with Rangers can be expected to go into overdrive.
It is has started already with a report suggesting that Rangers are interested in Leeds winger Largie Ramazani, who has yet to convince Elland Road manager Daniel Farke.
The 24-year-old Belgian joined Leeds in a £10m transfer from Almeria last summer, but he struggled for game time in the Championship.
It won’t get any easier for Ramazani now that Leeds have been promoted to the Premier League, with Farke expected to strengthen before the start of the new season.
Ramazani joined Leeds in a £10m transfer from Almeria last summer but struggled for playing time in the Championship
Rangers technical director Dan Purdy (raised hand) lost his job during Rafa Benitez’s short spell at Everton
Farke is understood to have faith in Ramazani’s potential, but if the player does not make an impact during pre-season, there will be a decision to make. At the very least, you would expect a loan to be among the options.
Whether or not the Leeds player is a serious target — and the report admits there have been ‘no talks’ — there is sure to be plenty more of this in the weeks ahead.
Ibrox new boy Purdy lost his job during Benitez power struggle at Everton
Rangers technical director Dan Purdy reinforced the relationships that will sustain him in his new role during a power struggle at former club Everton in the midst of Rafa Benitez’s brief reign as manager.
Purdy has been brought in at Ibrox to replace Nils Koppen by sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who knows him well from their time together at the Merseyside outfit. However, there is another key figure in the American Revolution on the southside of Glasgow that he is well acquainted with from turbulent times in the past.
Purdy rose through the ranks at Goodison to land a job as Manager of Scouting and Operations and worked hand-in-hand with Gretar Steinsson, who was Head of Recruitment at Everton and is now the technical chief for 49ers Enterprises, part of the consortium that has taken over Rangers.
However, Benitez wanted to shake things up behind the scenes at Everton after taking over as manager back in June 2021.
The following December, director of football Marcel Brands left the club after three-and-a-half years and, just days later, both Purdy and Steinsson, seen as allies of the Dutchman, quit their high-profile positions.
Purdy had been at Everton for more than seven years, starting off as a performance analysis intern and becoming a technical scout and technical scouting co-ordinator before being promoted by Brands to the role of Manager of Scouting and Operations.
Purdy rose through the ranks at Goodison, but Benitez was keen to shake things up
However, he would be handed a surprise return to Goodison just three months after his departure by the man who is now his immediate boss at Rangers.
Benitez’s reign at the Toffees proved to be a spectacular flop and he was bulleted in January 2022 – a month before Thelwell arrived as director of football following a stay at MLS outfit New York Red Bulls as head of sport.
Thelwell immediately offered Purdy his old job back and the rest is history.. Steinsson, though, has been heavily involved with the takeover of Rangers – and the appointment of new head coach Russell Martin – and is sure to be picking up his relationship with 31-year-old Purdy too.
Will Rangers join the clamour for alcohol to be sold in football stadiums?
While the focus right now has been bringing in head coach Martin and identifying new players, Rangers’ American owners will also introduce new ideas in their quest to have an impact on the Scottish football landscape.
Like the other US-based businessmen who have taken control of Scottish clubs, they will want revenue to be maximised and the matchday experience to be as attractive as possible.
That means making Rangers better, but it also means influencing the SPFL and the Scottish FA in such a way that the product is improved for paying punters.
So will they follow their compatriots in calling for an end to the alcohol ban that has been in place at Scottish football grounds since the 1980 Scottish Cup final riot?
The late US entrepreneur Ron Gordon, whose family own Hibs, set the ball rolling with that one, claiming that the ban was ‘discriminatory’ and that it would be challenged in the courts had it been imposed in America.
Calls for the alcohol ban at Scottish football grounds to be lifted continue, with First Minister John Swinney still dragging his heels on the issue
St Johnstone owner Adam Webb, an Atlanta-based lawyer, followed suit shortly after his takeover of the Perth club by arguing that the ban was ‘irrational’ and that Scottish football was ‘living with ghosts from the past’.
Now, Dundee United owner Mark Ogren, based in Minnesota, has chipped in and called for clubs to come up with a solution that is acceptable to the SFA and other stakeholders.
Rangers, he says, could be helpful on that front. He suspects that the new Ibrox regime will be a positive, modernising influence on Scottish football.
‘I’m hoping the 49ers being involved is going to increase the exposure, but there is definitely scope to increase the revenue,’ said Ogren. ‘The TV deal is a big thing, but also the culture. The alcohol situation continues to bother me. It’s absurd. It’s a touchy subject, but it is part of the entertainment value for people who come to matches, and they should be able to buy a beer.’
Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, is still dragging his heels on the issue, but with seven of Scotland’s clubs now under American ownership, calls for the return of alcohol are getting louder by the week.
Hibs, St Johnstone and Dundee United struggle to make themselves heard, but Rangers are a different matter. How long before they add their voice to the growing clamour?
