Nils Koppen Rangers role leap is back to front as Saturday Jury names Celtic transfer necessity

Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info

Join us on WhatsApp

Is Nils Koppen the man to solve Rangers problems as technical director?

ANDY NEWPORT: It’s hard to know given he’s never done the job before. His previous postings at PSV and Genk involved scouting and recruitment so its quite the leap to give him a wider role at Ibrox. Yet again this Gers board seem to enjoy remarkable good fortune when it comes to filling senior exec rolls,
with the best candidate for the job amazingly already in-house.

SCOTT BURNS: There are a lot of problems to currently solve at Ibrox. He certainly can't solve them all but he has been doing a lot of the work behind the scenes in recent weeks. It is a good appointment and a start but now the club needs a chairman and a chief executive for starters.

FRASER WILSON: Rangers appear to be filling roles the wrong way round, from the bottom up, which won’t solve anything quickly. They needed a new CEO in months ago. That has to be the priority. Then a chairman. Only time will tell if Koppen is a good fit for his wide ranging new role.

Alistair Johnston has been tied down on a new long term deal at Celtic - how important Greg Taylor is next?

ANDY: Quite important given that, as things stand, both he and Alex Valle will be departing in the summer. Taylor has been decent this season but I still think if Celtic are to step up a level European wise they need to make left-back a priority position. A certain Kieran Tierney might just be the answer.

SCOTT:Brendan Rodgers has already spoken about the importance of getting Greg Taylor signed up. If he was to leave and Alex Valle was to return to Barcelona there would be no left-back options. Talks have been on-going for a bit now. Perhaps Taylor might be pondering a fresh challenge overseas?

FRASER: Huge. Taylor is still under-appreciated by some and domestically is as good a left back as there is. Brendan Rodgers is eager to keep hold of the player who at 27 should be entering his prime. You just wonder if Taylor himself fancies something fresh and, if so, so Celtic will already have eyes on potential replacements.

Hearts are in talks with Tony Bloom over a minority stake at Tynecastle but would that be a good move?

ANDY: Anything that improves recruitment in Gorgie should be welcomed. The Jambos should have been looking to build on last year’s third-place finish but a number of missteps in the transfer market, primarily the failure to bring in another goalscorer, has seen all last year’s progress undone.

SCOTT: Bloom has shown to be successful at most things he does. His analytical company is in at Hearts, so why not invest at Tynecastle?

I think it could be a good move for both sides. It, however, would need to be a minority shareholding due to his ownership of Brighton.

FRASER: Bloom will need to get the backing of the Foundation of Hearts fans’ group who are majority shareholders if he is to stand any chance. But those punters must look at the impact the Brighton owner has had at Union SG in Belgium and be tempted. It would, after all, only be a minority stake for a decent investment.

Despite the vote of confidence does David Gray have to avoid defeat at Dundee this evening to keep his job?

ANDY: He’s fast running out of time. The Hibs board will know they can’t continue their ridiculous run of hiring and firing managers but there’s been little sign that the club’s Hampden hero is the man to take them forward. But if he does go, he should be followed out the door by the men who handed him the job in the first place.

SCOTT: Wins are the only things that are going to keep David Gray in a job. So far the results haven't been good enough. Gray will know that and unless Hibs improve dramatically then he will quickly become the next Easter Road managerial victim. Defeat tonight could be the end!

FRASER: You’d think so. It’s been a real baptism of fire to the management game for the 36-year-old and in many ways a cruel introduction. But Gray knew what he was getting into when he took the job on. Hibs absolutely must start getting points on the board in the next three games. Defeat at Dens could be the final straw.

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.