James Bisgrove names Rangers Champions League priority as Ibrox chiefs consider their director of football stance

Rangers fell flat on their faces at Kilmarnock on Saturday but chief executive James Bisgrove insists Michael Beale’s men are Champions League ready ahead of their first qualifier of the campaign on Wednesday.

Bisgrove has overseen a massive rebuild of Beale’s squad this summer with nine new faces arriving – and they flopped spectacularly in the Premiership opener in Ayrshire. But as Servette prepare to arrive in Govan, the CEO is adamant that the group of players Rangers have assembled are capable of competing in Europe’s top tier competition. If Gers lose to Servette or in the play-off round that follows, they will automatically drop into the Europa League group stage and the chief executive insists the team has the quality to have a real impact in that tournament if that’s how it plays out.

However, Bisgrove is adamant that Champions League football is the priority, saying: “Of course it’s important that Rangers strive to be at the top table in European football. I’m sure Michael and the team will be doing everything possible to navigate the Q3 round and, if that goes well, the playoff.

“I don’t think whether we’re in the Champions League or the Europa League group stage will have a material impact in terms of what we’re doing with the squad as we’re pretty much there now in terms of building a squad that we think can compete in the Champions League.

“Of course it’s not easy. We’ve got the test now against Servette and then you look at the potential teams we could play in the playoff. They are really difficult ties.

“But we hope that we’ve assembled a squad that Michael can be really competitive with in terms of getting to that group stage.”

Commenting on the possibility of Europa League football this term, he added: “Look, I think both competitions are fantastic. Look at the memories we had on the road to Seville.

“Rangers fans will hold those dear for a very long time. But it’s not our aim to be there. Our aim is to be in the Champions League. If we aren’t able to make it then we’ll look to make an absolute success of the Europa League.”

Bisgrove has revealed that the Ibrox Board is considering its position on whether to appoint a new director of football or continue with the set-up that has been in place since Ross Wilson’s departure, with Beale, chairman John Bennett and chief scout John Park working closely with him on recruitment.

He added: “That team has been really focused on the finite amount of time we have had to deliver the window. Once we get through that, we will catch our breath and start looking at some of the other decisions in terms of club appointments.”

Asked if they could stick with the current structure, he replied: “It is a possibility. We will meet as a board in early September, just before the Celtic game, and we will discuss that as a potential scenario, aligned to some of the candidates that we have met.”

Celtic have decided to take no tickets for that match at Ibrox on September 3 but Bisgrove has reiterated Rangers’ stance that the Ibrox club wants some of their supporters inside Celtic Park for the December 30 clash.

“Our belief, as a club, and certainly mine as the chief executive coming into Rangers is that away fans add so much to football – the colour, the vibrancy – no matter the game,” he said.

“Then you look at the Old Firm fixture and having away fans there is a positive in terms of the stadium atmosphere and also the spectacle worldwide.

“We have had discussions to see, based on the number of season tickets we have sold, what we could make available to Celtic and that is the 700, 750 number that we have made available for the last four, five years.

“I believe the respective security teams have met and there have been reassurances made by the Rangers security staff in terms of extra stewarding, extra policing. That is a conversation we need to have with Celtic in terms of what they want to do.

“But we believe that away fans should be at football matches. So, yes, we would want Rangers fans to be at Parkhead in December, absolutely.”