KRIS BOYD has it hit out at Rangers’ decision to hand director Nils Koppen a promotion – insisting he has done NOTHING to earn it.
The Belgian has been appointed to the new role of technical director at Ibrox.
Kris Boyd has hit out at Rangers’ latest major appointment[/caption]
Nils Koppen has a new role at Rangers[/caption]
Koppen has been working closely with manager Philippe Clement[/caption]
Koppen, 39, was appointed Rangers‘ director of football recruitment back in December 2023.
But the club confirmed this morning that he’d been bumped up to the role of technical director.
In simple terms, it will see Koppen perform a wider role that more closely resembles the duties performed by Ross Wilson during his time as the Gers’ sporting director.
As well as heading up Rangers’ transfer activity, Koppen will now take responsibility over the wider football department, including the academy, medical and performance areas.
He has highlighted a focus on bringing through more academy players and young Scottish talent as part of his new remit.
Koppen has been in place now for two transfer windows, with a major overhaul of the Rangers squad taking place across the past year.
Many of the club’s big signings have, so far at least, not quite hit the heights that may have been expected, with Rangers languishing nine points behind Celtic and Aberdeen in the Premiership.
Speaking exclusively to SunSport’s Roger Hannah on this week’s Go Ballistic programme, former Rangers striker Kris Boyd blasted the club’s decision to give Koppen a promotion.
SunSport columnist Boyd has been left asking who has made the decision – given the fact the Gers are currently running without a chief executive or a permanent chairman.
Boyd also reckons Koppen has done NOTHING to deserve the new role – and has questioned why the club isn’t ALREADY focusing on the areas he has now promised to put attention on.
He said: “I don’t know where to start. Who made the decision?
“There’s no CEO. I just don’t know – who’s making the decisions? There’s nobody above him.
“Why would you give someone a promotion when you don’t have someone above them?
“What happens if you appoint a CEO and there are problems with Koppen and the CEO? I’m not saying that’ll happen, but what if it does?”
“They are important (bringing through more academy players and Scottish players). The other thing he touched on as well was getting more ex-players involved as well.
“I’ve got to be honest, I just feel as if it’s what the fans are saying. I just feel it’s what the fans are saying and it seems the right thing to say for Koppen.
“You only need to look on social media, this is not an appointment the fans are enamoured with. They’re not looking at it saying ‘we’re absolutely delighted.
“You’ve got to earn the right to that promotion. There’s nothing to suggest that Nils Koppen has earned this.
“He might be a good guy, you’re telling me he’s highly thought of behind the scenes. Right now the fans only see what has come through the door and its not been good enough. It’s not been good enough.
“The recruitment is a million miles away from where it should be.
“You’ve got to remember as well, the things that were said in the remit back in the summer or even when Nils Koppen came in, they should be a guarantee.
“There should be a guarantee there are more Scots in that team, there should be players coming through the academy.
“That’s not something that’s new, because you’re now in this role, you need to be seen saying the right things?
“That should just be a remit right from the football club. You’re spending absolute bombs, fortunes on the youth academy. “
Boyd pointed to a general lack of youngsters coming through, particularly at Glasgow’s big two clubs.
And he pointed to an example of Lennon Miller’s current rise to stardom at Motherwell – and one of his former youth team-mates who made the move to Rangers.
Boyd also reckons the route being blocked to the first team is NOT what it was previously many years ago.
Boyd added: “There might only be a chance of one or two, especially at Rangers or Celtic, make it into a first team. you need to move them on up.
“Look at Lennon Miller right now, if he’s at Rangers… look at Bailey Rice. There wasn’t much between them at Motherwell.
“Rangers decided to take Rice and the pathway has been blocked for him.
“Whether hes good enough remains to be seen because he’s never really been in that first team environment.
“Lennon Miller now has more than a handful of first team games.
“He’s in that environment, he’s tested, he’s not the best player every week, but guess what, you’ve got opposition that need to stop you, because they’ve got mortgages to pay, they need their bonuses, they need to be in the team.
“You don’t get that with youth team football, you need to move them up.
“It’s maybe a revamp of the youth department that’s needed because something needs to change.
“There might be talented kids in there but as soon as they get to an age, its stifled. they cant make that breakthrough.
“They might be good kids but making that next step isn’t easy.
“if you look at history, you have to be exceptional.”
He continued: “Going back to Rangers thinking about Dobie, MacLean, McCormack – young strikers that came through.
“They went on to have a very good career elsewhere. they were trying to nudge five or six international players out of that starting XI, it was virtually impossible.
“That’s not the case anymore. If I’m a youngster right now, especially as a striker at the training centre, I’m looking at it thinking I’ve got an opportunity there, go and give every single thing to your game.
“I go back to it, Nils Koppen in terms of the whole youth thing, that should’ve been a given anyway.
“Not because you’ve got a job now. He’s looking at it saying I want to give youth a chance, I want to sign more Scottish players.
“The best managers in Rangers’ history – that’s what they’ve done. You’re not reinventing the wheel.
“Get ex-players in? Because the fans are saying they want ex-players in the building with the DNA, who know what it takes to be successful, it looks to me as if you’re appeasing the fans.
“To sum it up right now, you just look at it and think to yourself, potentially, you’re just moving the deckchairs on a sinking ship. That’s what it looks like to me.”
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