Ex Ibrox chairman Dave King excited by Rangers off-field 'elevation' under new CEO James Bisgrove

Dave King is adamant James Bisgrove is the right man to take Rangers forward - with his elevation to chief executive hailed as a “very exciting” step for everyone connected with the club.

The former Ibrox chairman - who is based in South Africa and remains a major shareholder - is positive about the direction the Gers are going in with Bisgrove praised as being an "incredibly effective" CEO, who he believes can benefit the club massively after his recent promotion from commercial and marketing director.

Working alongside chairman John Bennett, Bisgrove is attempting to rectify some disconnect over business taking place behind-the scenes in Govan and King - who is less involved in the club’s day-to-day running - admits he’s intrigued to see where they can go with affairs now being handled in the correct manner under the new board.

The only blot on Bisgrove’s time at Rangers to date in many fans eyes has been the Sydney Super Cup debacle in 2022, but King reckons if he was offered more support by the previous board then the mess that ensued could’ve been avoided. He is now urging for clearer guidance on any future issues that may arise.

Speaking in an exclusive with The Rangers Review, King said: “I personally was very excited about the elevation of James Bisgrove. I think James is a very good fit for CEO, he is a very smart guy. He has come into the club initially where he didn’t have the background, let’s call it the cultural DNA, that some Rangers minded people might have.

“A few things, like the whole Australia thing, I think the board should have helped James and said ‘look, you need to be careful with this, this is not going to work with the supporters.’ James wouldn’t have known that, but he now knows it and he has learned a lot.

“I think he is going to be an incredibly effective CEO for us and I think he is one of the smartest young guys out there. I am very excited by what James can do for the club as well so we now have a good team where, even though I am now more disconnected, I am still a large shareholder and I do feel a lot more confident even with that level of disconnect. My assumption is that the guys will be doing the right thing.”

King also questioned the decision of club legend Graeme Souness, in his role as consultant during Rangers managerial search to appoint Michael Beale’s successor, to speak publicly about who he felt should’ve been handed the role. Souness was particularly vocal is his backing of Chelsea icon Frank Lampard over Philippe Clement at the time.

King added: “I must say I didn’t know much about the manager. Graeme Souness’ comment didn’t necessarily help by saying he would have gone for (Frank) Lampard. If you think that, keep it in house, you don’t have to go and announce it to everybody. My view overall is one of being more positive about it.”