Rangers manager Derek McInnes has been told not to expect another raft of arrivals in January, with chairman Andrew Cavenagh warning he will likely have to work with his current squad for the remainder of the season.
The Ibrox boss had a hectic first summer at the club as he welcomed 14 new signings before the transfer deadline. That huge rebuild included a late £9million swoop for striker Kevin Kelsy, a deal forced upon the club's American owners because of a double injury blow to frontmen Lawrence Shankland and Youssef Chermiti.
Stability the focus after volatile summer
Now Cavenagh has warned his manager he'll likely have to work with what he's got for the rest of the campaign as the club seek a period of stability on and off the pitch. That message was conveyed during a roundtable sit-down with fan representatives at Ibrox on Saturday.
Minutes of the meeting released by the club's Fan Advisory Board state: “Don't expect much activity in January unless something happens which means they need to go into the market.
“Focus for the club is on stability and continuity after a volatile first season and the summer.
“That includes on the pitch and off it and holding for incremental improvement in all areas rather than wholesale changes again.”
Technical director departure discussed
Record Sport revealed last month that technical director Dan Purdy had decided to step down from his position after 12 months at the club. Discussing his departure, fans were told: “The club expressed its disappointment at the decision of Dan Purdy to leave. He's still working in the background as he works his notice period.
“Desire from the club to depersonalise the football department as no one person signs players, it's a collective effort and collective responsibility.”
McInnes was only appointed to replace Danny Rohl in June but it's been a rollercoaster ride already for the nine-in-a-row hero, with a mortifying double European exit coming before last month's double derby triumph over Celtic.
Cavenagh aims to end Celtic dominance
Cavenagh summed the situation up as being 'cup half full and cup half empty' so far but is determined to finally smash the Hoops' era of dominance. The minutes say that Cavenagh “expressed significant frustration and disappointment at exiting Europe but that the previous six games had been more of what we expected.”
They add: “Nobody at the club is getting carried away and everyone is taking one game at a time. [Cavenagh] wants to take the opportunity this season to fully focus on domestic success.”
Cavenagh grasped power at Ibrox a year ago after teaming up with a Stateside consortium that included senior figures from the San Francisco 49ers. The group have ploughed in over £100million to the club already - and further funds will follow later this season.
The minutes added: “On ownership, Cavenagh outlined that the consortium that owns 51 percent of the club is led by him, but includes 25 investors, all of whom are known to him or Paraag Marathe.
“The main investors in the group are Cavenagh, Eugene Schneur, Andrew Clayton, Mark Taber - all of whom are Rangers board directors.
“The executive committee responsible for day to day decision making and running of the club is Cavenagh, Marathe, Jim Gillespie and Fraser Thornton.
“A further share issue will be required later in the season.
“Cavenagh reiterated that there is a significant amount of capital available to the club, but that as investors who are ultimately looking for a return on investment, continually writing cheques makes that more difficult.”
