Rangers star now looks like the 49ers best signing of all time

Glasgow Rangers finally appear to be on the right track under Derek McInnes after they endured a dismal start to the 2026/27 campaign with the Scottish boss.

 

The Light Blues failed to qualify for any European competition, losing in their Europa League and Conference League qualifiers, and only picked up one point from their first two matches in the Scottish Premiership.

However, they have won their last six successive matches in all competitions, keeping five clean sheets in that time, and appear to be trending upwards.

 

It has been little more than a year since Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers completed a takeover of Rangers, and they are still waiting for their first trophy in charge.

Assessing the owners’ first year at Rangers

It is fair to say that the 2025/26 campaign was a season full of learning for Cavenagh and the 49ers at Ibrox, as they made plenty of mistakes and had to learn from their errors.

In the summer of 2025, they appointed Kevin Thelwell as their new sporting director and Russell Martin as the team’s new head coach. By the end of November 2025, Thelwell and Martin had both been sacked.

 

The signings made during their first window in charge were also a mixed bag, as five of their nine permanent signings do not currently play for Rangers, 12 months later.

On the pitch, results were not good enough over the course of the season. The Gers did not win either domestic cup, were knocked out of the Europa League at the league phase, and finished third in the Premiership.

Their first 12 months in charge of Ibrox were, overall, a disappointment. It was a good learning experience for the board, though, and they appear to have made positive strides forward.

 

Danny Rohl, who they appointed to replace Martin, was snapped up by RB Salzburg over the summer, though, and the 49ers took a step in the right direction by hiring McInnes.

49ers have found their best Rangers signing of all time

After appointing the Scottish boss from Hearts, the owners decided to back the manager in the transfer market by signing seven new players on permanent deals.