Mark Allen - Officially gone

supersonic said:
what do you mean? if Allen's remit was to get rid of Pedro's duds and other shite players on high wages signed before his time then they should also share the blame. Dorrans, Pena & Herrera on reportedly 20k+ a week? The board also sanctioned Pedro in the first place - they can't exactly sack themselves however they wasted £10-15m pounds of their own (the club's) money. Not to mention wasting a whole season of fan's time + utter PR embarrassment with such a ridiculous appointment.
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Gerrard is the only appointment the board have got right in the four plus years they’ve been in charge.

We knew mistakes would be made because the club they inherited was a basket case and the ongoing issues with Ashley didn’t help, but there were a series of blunders beginning with Warburton’s unseemly exit and followed by the kamikaze appointment of Caixinha, the calamitous PR disaster that was McInnes and the bungling clownery that saw us promote then sack a youth team coach in the space of five months that simply couldn’t have continued without heads rolling at a loftier level.

If Allen was instrumental in bringing Gerrard to the club then that may give us cause for apprehension now that he’s left, but has it ever been established that that was the case?

If it was, it could be viewed that the one solid foundation we had has now gone, but if it’s not then I’m not sure there’s any great cause for alarm.

I’d suggest the most important thing right now is appointing someone Gerrard is comfortable with, but I also think we need to look at the executive level and ask if we’re getting the best we could be there too.
 
Commentator said:
You criticised the board for 'sanctioning some horror show signings'. Do you or do you not want them to overrule a recommendation from the football management regarding a player?
Your post above is just hot air, letting off steam and ultimately pointless given that we need men prepared to put funds into the club. They've made an arse of some things, no argument, but backing those responsible for football decisions is not one of them.
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to be honest, my only gripe is around the Pedro signings. the other ones i agree with you about not overruling the football department. mistake number 1 was falling for Pedro's Powerpoint Presentation. he then brings in 2 mexican duds that probably cost all in all about £6-9m - fees, wages, payoffs etc. also Dorrans was brought in at this time - no way Pedro knew about him - so the board probably had more to do with that (IMO). Only good signing was Jack - however he would be on nowhere near 20k - let alone 15k.

from that point onwards i have had no issues with the board backing management team dispite some expected misses in the transfer market
 
Square and compass said:
Leave the big apple and usa to come to live in say bearsden.
Get verbal at every corner from the tims and some of our fans if not going well.
Cant see it myself.
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To be fair, Gerrard left a great life in LA. This was seemingly to fulfill his ambition to manage Liverpool, and is currently using us as a stepping stone for that. Perhaps Reyna would see us as a good stepping stone to a big Man City job. I doubt they'd take him from New York directly. However, if I was him I'd stay in New York and enjoy my life... but I don't know his ambitions. He has stated he loved being at Rangers though.
 
I have seen some mental ideas for replacements, people who have never worked as a DOF at any point.
We need someone with experience of the position who SG can have a good working relationship with.
 
LOL 133 said:
Am I not allowed to speculate?

At the risk of repeating myself I'll say it again. I have no inside knowledge about MA. Ive never met the man and dont know anyone who has. My problem with him was the things he said at his interviews. It sounded like bullshit to me then and it still does. Im sick of Rangers employing chancers.

Incidentally, I dont like Corbyn. Ive never met him or anyone that knows him. My only info comes from the things he says. Its speculation. Im assuming you object to that.
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If your speculation is based on no visible or hard evidence then it’s worthless. I could speculate that Gary McAllister is actually the guy who calls all the shots tactically, of course there’s no evidence to suggest this is the case, so why bother really? You’ve ducked my question for a third time now, so I’ll take that as you realising your logic would mean that Gerrard is also due the same criticism but you don’t want to give him that criticism because you like him.
 
Hipster Dashie said:
The right appointment in the DOF role and it isn’t about money. It is about spending what you have wisely.

They bought Julian for £7m we bought Hellander fir £3.5m. If Hellander is a better player we narrow the gap for half the price.

This role is crucial in our development. Absolutely crucial. We need a really good appointment here.
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And in 2 seasons we've managed how many signings that have been unknown and potentially going to bring us in a nice profit?

That's part of my point 90% of our signings have been obvious......

Scouting is crucial but the DOF role isn't.
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
How is Allen leaving Rangers not sticking to a process? If Tesco fire a store manager, does it necessarily follow that he was fired because the plan to implement the over-all strategy was wrong? Of course not. It is FAR more likely to indicate that the store manager was failing to deliver the plan correctly.

I am not saying it succeeded or failed at all. I have specifically said on numerous occasions that I simply do not have the information to make that call. YOU are saying that Allen going is a vindication of your entrenched position. It is so obviously not a vindication that it really should not have to be pointed out at all.

I am not choosing to believe it failed in a certain way at all, that is a simple lie. I am very deliberately NOT choosing to believe it failed in a certain way. I am not choosing to believe it failed in any way at all. I am stating the bloody obvious by saying that the lack of information you bemoan means you are not even close to being in a position to declare the whole thing a failure and that Allen going for any number of reasons, such as being asked to leave or landing a job with another club are FAR more likely than the board just ripping up the whole process. You are too blinded by what you WANT to be the truth that you are tying yourself in knots trying to make all the pieces fit and you are missing the most obvious answer.
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You are going round in circles on this. It's very simple if we replace MA with another DOF I am wrong-the club have stuck to the strategy. I suspect though if we do how his role is defined will be changed although there's a very likely probability we will never know that type of detail.

I'm not tying myself in knots I said at the time we didn't need a DOF and it's clear how the role was set up ran into issues with a very strong leader like SG.

But you carry on I think we've done this.
 
Let's not get our knickers too much in a twist over this as we don't know the whole story or even half the story. Everything we say here is conjecture apart from a couple of posters who have a fair idea of what went down last night. Personally, I think that MA did a pretty good job in setting up a new scouting network and bringing in a competitive team. I don't think he thought that SG would actually come to Ibrox and when he did, it put the cat among the pigeons. SG is a larger than life personality and doesn't suffer fools lightly. The pair must have clashed over players and it is to our credit that nothing leaked to the gutter press about it.
There will be a replacement in the works, Nerlinger looks a good replacement but I would imagine it will be a pal of SG or at least someone he knows and trusts.
 
DylanGer said:
You are going round in circles on this. It's very simple if we replace MA with another DOF I am wrong-the club have stuck to the strategy. I suspect though if we do how his role is defined will be changed although there's a very likely probability we will never know that type of detail.

I'm not tying myself in knots I said at the time we didn't need a DOF and it's clear how the role was set up ran into issues with a very strong leader like SG.

But you carry on I think we've done this.
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I have said the same thing over and over. There are no knots other than the ones you are tying in trying to prove a point. I am simply stating that I do not know why he left, but that it might be a change of direction (my very first post) or it might be down to Allen specifically. That standpoint has not changed one single bit on this thread and remains my singular point. You are so determined to be right that you are throwing all sorts of other things that you think I am saying. That is it. That is ALL I am saying.

the bit in bold is where your issue on this thread lies.

You said right at the start it was the wrong move and now you are desperately trying to make this story fit with that. It is so transparent that it has been said to you on here by a decent number of people now. Your last post did nothing other than prove the point to everyone: You said something ages ago, ergo what is happening now MUST be because of that. Ignore the facts, ignore the gaps in your knowledge, just perform backflips trying to make it fit.
 
Square and compass said:
Kamara in a few months is now 100 times more than we bought him for.
And he has been rank this season.
Barisic - a right back who came for nothing gets a game in front of him and he s doubled his transfer fee.
Arfield in his 30s.
You either know nothing about football or your at the wind up.
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oki doki
 
Northampton_Loyalist said:
I have said the same thing over and over. There are no knots other than the ones you are tying in trying to prove a point. I am simply stating that I do not know why he left, but that it might be a change of direction (my very first post) or it might be down to Allen specifically. That standpoint has not changed one single bit on this thread and remains my singular point. You are so determined to be right that you are throwing all sorts of other things that you think I am saying. That is it. That is ALL I am saying.

the bit in bold is where your issue on this thread lies.

You said right at the start it was the wrong move and now you are desperately trying to make this story fit with that. It is so transparent that it has been said to you on here by a decent number of people now. Your last post did nothing other than prove the point to everyone: You said something ages ago, ergo what is happening now MUST be because of that. Ignore the facts, ignore the gaps in your knowledge, just perform backflips trying to make it fit.
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Ask Commentator on this. I have consistently questioned the football strategy-it wasn't something I said ages ago.

The facts are he's left I would say in general he hasn't done that great a job-the facts suggest he and SG both recruited players and that's clearly problematic. Your obsession with me is a little unhealthy I would suggest you note the other opinions on MA from others who have said much the same as I have-it's in the public domain. Maybe it's all lies you decide.

My focus on this is in relation to the football and precisely the signing strategy I hope I'm badly wrong and we are not hurt by the gaps in the squad or the route we've taken. It's still very early on in the league but I would argue the MA/SG relationship or roles if you like has led us into this.

Enough I have a team to go and support.
 
Commentator said:
I feel that SR is favoured by King, I therefore believe any move would be sideways, not out. So, although we'd have the CEO oncost we wouldn't have the SR redundancy.
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I don’t think it’s viable, either financially or operationally to have a CEO and an MD, especially not when the biggest shareholder and chairman wields most influence.

If Robertson isn’t doing his job effectively he should be replaced, but I appreciate there may be other factors we’re not entirely aware of where he’s seen as performing well and I accept that we’re probably not in a position to pay him off anyway.

My suspicion is that Robertson is MD in name only and doesn’t really make any of the big decisions being more a glorified FD than anything else, otherwise, given the significant disasters he’s presided over - Warburton’s exit, Pedro’s hire, the McInnes debacle, Murty’s promotion and sacking - I’m not really sure why he’s still in the job.
 
DylanGer said:
Ask Commentator on this. I have consistently questioned the football strategy-it wasn't something I said ages ago.

The facts are he's left I would say in general he hasn't done that great a job-the facts suggest he and SG both recruited players and that's clearly problematic. Your obsession with me is a little unhealthy I would suggest you note the other opinions on MA from others who have said much the same as I have-it's in the public domain. Maybe it's all lies you decide.

My focus on this is in relation to the football and precisely the signing strategy I hope I'm badly wrong and we are not hurt by the gaps in the squad or the route we've taken. It's still very early on in the league but I would argue the MA/SG relationship or roles if you like has led us into this.

Enough I have a team to go and support.
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EXACTLY!!!!!!!


You have a standpoint and you are trying to make this fit with it. It is just the way it is.


Enjoy the game, I wish I was there
 
BrooklynBlue said:
Then why the positive write-up?
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It happens all the time. One of the directors in my work got the elbow a month or so back. He did so because he was not thought to be adding anything like the value expected. I know that to be a fact.

If you’d listened to the CEO’s glowing tribute however you’d never have thunk it.
 
Planned departures surely announced during the normal working week.

Unplanned ones come via whispers followed by a late in the day club announcement.
 
HandsomeHead said:
It happens all the time. One of the directors in my work got the elbow a month or so back. He did so because he was not thought to be adding anything like the value expected. I know that to be a fact.

If you’d listened to the CEO’s glowing tribute however you’d never have thunk it.
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This. The vast majority of stuff spouted in the media by journalists, managers, players and clubs is sh.ite. This includes our own club, manager(s) and players. It could be neutral sh.ite, positive sh.ite or negative sh.ite, but it's still generally sh.ite.
 
If Allen, as some well known posters are inferring, was a bit of a charlatan then my one big concern is that King, Robertson and The Board lack a feel for football.

I would cite: Pedro, Del-boy, Mark Allen and leaving Murty in situ for too long.

I’m not saying they don’t love the club, and I am sure they are gifted businessmen acting in our best interests. Some have been very generous and others will be fiscally prudent.

But they can’t cut and paste their corporate recruitment strategies to a very unique business.

They are not instinctive football people though. They seem to either get dazzled or make cautious choices.

They look for articulate, cerebral types because that’s their own collective wheelhouse.

I don’t think this board would have chosen Walter when Souness left.
 
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Southsideblueblood said:
The biggest stinker for money is Grezda, 2 million and I fail to believe we scouted him. A couple of decent matches against us and we splashed out. A mistake that’s still costing us and we won’t be getting any money for him. With wages it’s a6-7 percent of our turnover. Apart from Jack, Tavernier, Katic kamara and Morelos...who are we making decent money from? Kent maybe, but remains to be seen. I’ve left out this years crop as we cant really comment yet.
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Good overall point but Grezda never played against us.
 
Steve Snedden said:
If Allen, as some well known posters are inferring, was a bit of a charlatan then my one big concern is that King, Robertson and The Board lack a feel for football.

I would cite: Pedro, Del-boy, Mark Allen and leaving Murthy in situ for too long.

I’m not saying they don’t love the club, and I am sure they are gifted businessmen acting in our best interests. Some have been very generous and others will be fiscally prudent.

But they can’t cut and paste their corporate recruitment strategies to a very unique business.

They are not instinctive football people though. They seem to either get dazzled or make cautious choices.

They look for articulate, cerebral types because that’s their own collective wheelhouse.

I don’t think this board would have chosen Walter when Souness left.
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100% agree. I have no idea whether Mark Allen is a charlatan or not but the DoF position is prime position for charlatans. They just about all talk a good game but it's difficult to judge if a DoF is any good or not. There are so many variables involved that it's impossible to tell whether a specific DoF was the catalyst for any upward trajectory at a football club.
 
Danger Zone said:
If your speculation is based on no visible or hard evidence then it’s worthless. I could speculate that Gary McAllister is actually the guy who calls all the shots tactically, of course there’s no evidence to suggest this is the case, so why bother really? You’ve ducked my question for a third time now, so I’ll take that as you realising your logic would mean that Gerrard is also due the same criticism but you don’t want to give him that criticism because you like him.
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Your arrogance astounds me. I'll take it that's the reason you didnt recognise my response to your question.

Just to be clear. What a person says IS a form of behaviour, one of the most important in many psychological theories. To put it in your language, its a form of "visible and hard evidence".

With regards Gerrard v Allen. I do like what Gerrard says. He comes across as a down to earth, honest and articulate man. Unlike Allen he doesnt indulge in the bullshit you seem to have swallowed.

Anyway, I cant be bothered discussing it with you further. You have your views and I have mine. Mines were formed not long after Allen joined us and started talking crap. I said so at the time and it seems me and many others have been proved right.

Incidentally at today's demo in George Square I spoke to an ITK person who informed me that MA was called to a meeting on thursday evening where he was told that his performance was not as expected and he would be getting supervised more closely. MA didnt react well to this and this resulted in him leaving. Make of that what you will.
 
LOL 133 said:
Incidentally at today's demo in George Square I spoke to an ITK person who informed me that MA was called to a meeting on thursday evening where he was told that his performance was not as expected and he would be getting supervised more closely. MA didnt react well to this and this resulted in him leaving. Make of that what you will.
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Interesting. That would make sense in terms of the statement issued.
 
Having had a thought re our strengths etc. I believe the striker position is a huge Achilles heel. If Morelos was injured for any length of time we would be absolutely fecked. Imho that strategy is more than Allen but it gives me the fear.
 
bobba said:
We need a DOF to ensure that there will be some continuity after Gerrard. We can’t forget that whilst it’s great to have Beale et al in the coaching team, it is a huge risk, because they are all more loyal to Gerrard than the club. We can’t have a mass exodus with no plan as to how to replace each of those individuals.
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Im not disagreeing but what would you prefer between a Gerrard and his team working in harmony versus a new DOF who might disrupt things and cause tension? My concern is we could potentially create another problem in the short term.
 
ID10 said:
It’s pointless coming out and listing the reasons because it’ll only get me more criticism, especially on here & I’ve seen people destroyed for daring to go against the grain with him

I’ll stick to my opinion however because it is led, I’m glad he’s gone & I hope we recruit properly to replace him

He’s off to his next job & won’t give a %^*& about Rangers, largely like his time here
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So there will be a new dof coming and and we are going to stick with the model?

Imo allen was a bit hit and miss wasn't overly bad but hasn't been a stand out where we're gutted to lose him
 
Ted Rangers said:
To be fair, Gerrard left a great life in LA. This was seemingly to fulfill his ambition to manage Liverpool, and is currently using us as a stepping stone for that. Perhaps Reyna would see us as a good stepping stone to a big Man City job. I doubt they'd take him from New York directly. However, if I was him I'd stay in New York and enjoy my life... but I don't know his ambitions. He has stated he loved being at Rangers though.
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Gerrard is british, totally diferent.
But i get what you mean.
 
we should go for the guy who used to be tottenhams dof he was interested at the time and his track record was superb cant mind his name nut id make him the priority
 
Damian Comolli was responsible for blowing a hell of alot of money on bang average players at spurs and Liverpool Was he not?
 
Some are telling us that Gerrard and Allen didn’t get on, it wasn’t working, there was ‘tension’ and that the statement from the Club yesterday, including comments from Gerrard, was just platitudes.

And yet Gerrard has come our with this effusive praise of Allen again today. I’m not sensing this rumoured bad feeling and tension from these comments, quite the opposite in fact.

Steven Gerrard says he will play a role in finding a replacement for departed director of football Mark Allen .

The Rangers boss addressed the departure of Allen after watching his side beat Livingston 3-1 and insists he was eager for the Welshman to stay.

Allen played a pivotal role in the Ibrox side’s on-field rebuilding but left for family reasons after 27 months at the club.

Gerrard said: “It doesn’t change things for me in terms of my role and the day to day stuff. Of course there is a void there at the moment.

“Mark has been brilliant for me, he has given me incredible support. He sold the job for me, not that it needed selling. He was the one who came and got me so I appreciate the opportunity from him.

“But I totally respect and understand his decision, he has been away from his family for two years. He came in at a time at this club when it needed shaking up, he was the one who shook it up and get it to the point it is at now.

“I would have wanted him to stay around a bit longer to be honest of course but everyone has their time and Mark has decided he wants to go back to his family, I respect that.

"In terms of whether the club put similar type person in that role and how long that is going to take, they are questions you will probably have to ask the board. Will I be involved in the process? Probably.

Gerrard admits there’s no timeframe on bringing in Allen’s successor but he believes they’ll be big shoes to fill.

He said: “I’m not in any rush, the club need to decide whether they want a technical director in and if the right person is out there. If they can find the right person, that is the main thing.

"There is no point filling it with just someone because I am sure there will be a queue for it. It has to be the right person, someone that compliments everything and all the hard work Mark has done. From where it was when he walked in the door to where it is now, he has done a hell of a job.

“He will always be my friend, and I enjoyed working with him. I have only good words to say about him.

“If you look at where the squad was and the team was to where it is now, I think he has completed the mission the club asked him to do. We all have to respect his decision, that’s the way it is.”
 
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I thank MA for playing his part but I heard the same as others.....he had a high opinion of himself, rubbed people up the wrong way and didn’t want to work with others when he was told his transfer policy wasn’t working. Arrogant and not liked. But tbf the club is on a better platform now to appoint a proper DOF (MA wasn’t one before and didn’t seem to know how to be a rounded one - going on the pitch etc in a tracksuit!!!!) Id love us to properly go and convince Ross Wilson, if we can get him this time from Southampton. He’s perfect for the long term Rangers being young but experience and having experienced England. Whoever it is though has to continue to build the entire club, it’s not just about scouting
 
HandsomeHead said:
Was he though?

There are rumours the board weren’t happy with his performance - the glowing press release doesn’t tell us much in all honesty - just as there have been persistent rumours right from the start that he’s a difficult character.

If I was to take a guess, and this isn’t based on anything other than my gut feeling, Gerrard was too big a personality for Mark Allen and there have been clashes between the two with regards to how we’re implementing strategy.

Which isn’t to say there’s been any big rammies, more a difference of opinion that happens at all big organisations at upper management and executive level.

I suspect we may now look for someone Gerrard knows to fill the position and I think we’ll be all the better for it.
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Jobs for the boys your suggesting
 
Valley Bluenose said:
Some are telling us that Gerrard and Allen didn’t get on, it wasn’t working, there was ‘tension’ and that the statement from the Club yesterday, including comments from Gerrard, was just platitudes.

And yet Gerrard has come our with this effusive praise of Allen again today. I’m not sensing this rumoured bad feeling and tension from these comments, quite the opposite in fact.

Steven Gerrard says he will play a role in finding a replacement for departed director of football Mark Allen .

The Rangers boss addressed the departure of Allen after watching his side beat Livingston 3-1 and insists he was eager for the Welshman to stay.

Allen played a pivotal role in the Ibrox side’s on-field rebuilding but left for family reasons after 27 months at the club.

Gerrard said: “It doesn’t change things for me in terms of my role and the day to day stuff. Of course there is a void there at the moment.

“Mark has been brilliant for me, he has given me incredible support. He sold the job for me, not that it needed selling. He was the one who came and got me so I appreciate the opportunity from him.

“But I totally respect and understand his decision, he has been away from his family for two years. He came in at a time at this club when it needed shaking up, he was the one who shook it up and get it to the point it is at now.

“I would have wanted him to stay around a bit longer to be honest of course but everyone has their time and Mark has decided he wants to go back to his family, I respect that.

"In terms of whether the club put similar type person in that role and how long that is going to take, they are questions you will probably have to ask the board. Will I be involved in the process? Probably.

Gerrard admits there’s no timeframe on bringing in Allen’s successor but he believes they’ll be big shoes to fill.

He said: “I’m not in any rush, the club need to decide whether they want a technical director in and if the right person is out there. If they can find the right person, that is the main thing.

"There is no point filling it with just someone because I am sure there will be a queue for it. It has to be the right person, someone that compliments everything and all the hard work Mark has done. From where it was when he walked in the door to where it is now, he has done a hell of a job.

“He will always be my friend, and I enjoyed working with him. I have only good words to say about him.

“If you look at where the squad was and the team was to where it is now, I think he has completed the mission the club asked him to do. We all have to respect his decision, that’s the way it is.”
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Think those quotes answer some of the absolute made up pish I’ve read online about Allen. Shame to see him go.
 
We were waiting for players to come out last night as person I was with wanted something signed and the steward was telling us it was Allen who’s tried to stop a lot of the interaction before and after games between players and fans . Tellling the players to come out a certain door and hurry to their cars . It just seems a bit off considering so many folk idolise these players and meeting say Defoe or Alfie can really make someone very happy . I noticed last night though that the players actually spent ages with the fans Defoe and Ojo especially taking loads of time to sign and get photos taken .
 
Steve Snedden said:
If Allen, as some well known posters are inferring, was a bit of a charlatan then my one big concern is that King, Robertson and The Board lack a feel for football.

I would cite: Pedro, Del-boy, Mark Allen and leaving Murty in situ for too long.

I’m not saying they don’t love the club, and I am sure they are gifted businessmen acting in our best interests. Some have been very generous and others will be fiscally prudent.

But they can’t cut and paste their corporate recruitment strategies to a very unique business.

They are not instinctive football people though. They seem to either get dazzled or make cautious choices.

They look for articulate, cerebral types because that’s their own collective wheelhouse.

I don’t think this board would have chosen Walter when Souness left.
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Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, even from ‘well known’ folk.
 
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