GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 21: Rangers B head coach David McCallum, who is in interim charge for the match, during a Premier Sports Cup semi-final match between Rangers and Hibernian at Hampden Park, on November 21, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
David McCallum is about to be confirmed as the Academy Director at Ibrox.
The former Queens Park coach has been doing the job on an interim basis, now after using the ground-breaking analytics of the San Francisco 49GERS the decision has been taken to give McCallum the job on a permanent basis.
The 47-year-old was brought to Ibrox by Mark Warburton a decade ago, learning from a variety of losers while filling in a number of Academy and B team roles.
Since formation in 2012 no player has come through the ranks at Murray Park to play more than 15 first team matches in the SPFL Premiership but that is all set to change under the brilliance of Kev Thelwell.
The former Everton Director of Football was the driving force behind recruiting Russell Martin and has now switched his attention to appointing an Academy Director:
The Daily Record reports:
Thelwell believes he can help bring through a regular conveyor belt of talent that the club has lacked in recent seasons.
Thelwell had, initially, been keen to bring in Gareth Prosser but he is still in a similar post at Everton and also has lucrative options in the Middle-east.
McCallum has been at Rangers after he made the move from Queen’s Park to become academy manager at Ibrox.
He has also led the young Rangers teams into the Youth Champions League and has been in charge of the B team for the last four years.
McCallum has also had a spell as Rangers caretaker manager after Steven Gerrard left in 2021.
Yeah, losing 3-1 at Hampden to Hibs in the semi-final of the League Cup while Giovanni van Bronckhorst watched in the stand.
Heavy cost cutting started on the Ibrox Academy at the turn of the year, in season 25/26 they are hoping to have their aspiring starlets playing for Raith Rovers.
In the absence of cash, and over reliance on freebies/loans at ibrox,
it could make sense to instruct the Head Coach that he has to include X number
of Academy players in his teamsheets?
But, if the new Academy head has been there for 10 years already,
then why would anyone expect anything significantly better now…?
After the savage cut of thirteen promising members from the youth team, it looks like David McCallum the new director is inheriting a very thin squad. The recent outbreak of Rickets at the youth academy and vending machine vandalism and thefts are further matters of concern.