What Paraag Marathe 'relishes' at Rangers as summer transfer pledge made amid clear objective
The 49ers Enterprise have assured Rangers fans that they’ll back the club financially
A year on from the 49ers Enterprise takeover of Rangers, chairman Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe still ‘relish’ the challenge at Ibrox despite a disappointing first season.
A third place finish in the Premiership wasn’t in the plan for Cavenagh and Leeds United Chairman Marathe, who stepped down as vice chairman at Ibrox in February but still remains heavily involved with the club behind the scenes. The 49ers invested millions upon millions into Rangers last season to no avail - but have no regrets and are ready to go again.
With the summer transfer window around the corner, Rangers have already made early progress with the signing of Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland. With the second summer rebuild of Cavenagh and the 49ers’ tenure now firmly underway, the chairman has pledged to fans that they will do everything in their power to bring trophies back to Ibrox.
Marathe ‘relishes’ Rangers challenge
The American stepped down from his role at Ibrox due to UEFA multi-club ownership complications due to his links with Leeds, however Cavenagh has confirmed he still has a huge role to play at Rangers. He told the Rangers Review: “The challenge is something I relish and Paraag [Marathe] relishes with the rest of us.
“The disappointment this year is very real for us. But all it’s done is provide motivation for us going forward. Rangers occupy 150 percent of my thoughts. Paraag and the 49ers’ commitment is unchanged. He and Gene had to go off the board to be compliant with rules but it hasn’t changed our ability as a club. They’re important to the club. I speak to Paraag every day, we’re very close and this hasn’t changed their commitment or involvement one bit.”
When asked if he has any regrets getting involved with the club after 12 months, Cavenagh simply responded: “No, is the answer. This club gets into you at the molecular level. And once it’s done, you’re done. It’s happened to me and a bunch of us. I don’t ever want to use the words ‘Enjoy’ or ‘Fun’ because you can’t have a season as we’ve had and use those words.”
Cavenagh makes transfer window pledge
The chairman is hoping to use the disappointment of last season as fuel to the fire for the next campaign. He continued: “The fact that we got close and had a chance to win the title has left a terrible taste in everyone’s mouths. We’ll use that taste to remind us of where we were and to spur us on to where we want to get to. That will make success sweeter.
“For us, success is winning the league. And we didn’t succeed. Period. We’re gutted by it because we were close. But we are resolutely determined to bring titles to the club. I don’t want to come across as naively optimistic, but we are optimistic that we are making progress. But what the fans want to see is titles.
“We understand that. We’ll continue to move forward and bring titles. We enter every season with the expectation that we have to win. What we can do is what we’ve outlined, which is to improve the squad and go again. You can’t sprinkle pixie dust and guarantee yourself a title. It’s hard work. It’s an investment. And we’re prepared to do both.”
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