New Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh ‘relishing challenge’ of overhauling Celtic

New Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh is “relishing the challenge” of trying to overhaul Celtic as Scotland’s top dogs.

Gers have won only one top-flight title and three major honours in total since their financial implosion in 2012, with their city rivals dominating the trophy count in that period.

However, Cavenagh, fronting an American consortium that took control of the Ibrox club earlier this month, is confident they can bridge the gap in Glasgow and, over time, assert the Light Blues as Scotland’s leading force.

“We relish that challenge,” said Cavenagh, facing the media at Ibrox on Monday just hours after an EGM in the city in which their immediate plans were given the all-clear by shareholders. “We are impatient, we are competitive and so we look forward to the challenge.”

Pressed further on the scale of the task Rangers face as they bid to usurp a Celtic side thriving under Brendan Rodgers, Cavenagh said: “We think it is achievable or we wouldn’t be here. We don’t think it will be easy.

“It is not going to happen instantaneously but we will strive to improve the on-field performance and we will continue to build the infrastructure of the club. If we didn’t think we could win we wouldn’t be here. We are here because we think we can.

“There is real work to be done, I think everyone is aware of that. Paraag (Marathe, vice-chairman) and I are two of the least patient people you will meet and we are also incredibly competitive so we share our supporters’ sense of urgency. We are in with both feet today and we will move this forward as fast as we can.”

Cavenagh – sure-footed and measured throughout his first briefing with Scottish journalists – outlined his aim of establishing Rangers as Champions League regulars.

“Champions League is the goal we are trying to get to every year,” he said. “It is important because it brings more revenue. It will always be our benchmark.

“It is not as if we are banking on that and if it doesn’t happen then there is some sort of a problem. That is not the case at all. But it is our goal.

“As we increase revenue, which comes from the Champions League, then we get to re-invest that in the club. That is why it is the goal from both a sporting perspective and the revenue model perspective.”

While the new owners are intent on ensuring financial sustainability, they were given the green light on Monday to get the ball rolling on their revival of the club with a £20million investment.

“£20m is the amount of primary capital that we are putting in,” said Cavenagh. “We have been careful to not say we won’t put more in and to not say we will put more in.

“When we think about the amount of capital that is needed, we look at it through three lenses. The first is what impact will it have and we think £20m into the club – and again, we’re not being specific about where the £20m is going – we think £20m is the right amount this summer.

“And the other two lenses that we look though are FSR (UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations) and making sure we are running the club in a sustainable way.

“We are not looking for what I think of as the sugar high – come in spend some money, sign some players and try to win something and then you have the sugar crash that comes from that.”

One of the new owners’ first big calls was to appoint Russell Martin as head coach earlier this month.

“There were four criteria that we looked at for head coach,” said Cavenagh. “One, somebody that would coach what we think is the right style of play or game model. Two, someone who would build the culture and the way we think it needs to be built.

“Three, someone who will develop talent. And four, someone who will win matches. Russell was the standout across all of those metrics, unanimously among our team.”