49ers believe ex-rugby chief David French is the answer for Rangers | OneFootball

The appointment at Ibrox of David French to Chief Commercial Officer is a very interesting development in Govan. It is the first proper commercial officer the Rangers have had since James Bisgrove was promoted to CEO. Of course, he did get an initial replacement. Rangers fans might remember the name of Karim Virani, who took over from Bisgrove once the former CEO left for the Middle East. It was a very curious appointment at the time, Virani, because Bisgrove’s success as commercial officer had been exemplary. Rangers had never had the number of commercial endorsements that we got as a result of Bisgrove’s job in that position. The promotion to CEO was an absolute mistake and he should have remained commerce officer. But to this day, we’ve had absolutely nobody in Virani’s position. And now, finally, it is Mr French.

Rangers’ new CCO David French – credit David French Linkedin

French’s CV

What CV can David French boast of? His biggest credit is the success that he had with the Aviva Stadium of Irish Rugby. He was CEO of the stadium management and commercial. Is this suitable for Rangers? The real question is will switching from rugby to football, as well as having had a stint in Manchester United, be the right material for Rangers? The last guy that we got from Manchester United on the board side didn’t work out so well. But French’s record with Irish Rugby at the Aviva does seem to be decent.

Another Strange Choice?

It is just, however, a strange choice, as Rangers’ ‘strange’ choices always seem to be these days. We are not condemning French by any manner of means. And if he can bring in more endorsements, more commercial, more sponsorship, and crucially, bigger revenue, then it’s obviously going to be a success. How he will manage Ibrox, we are not precisely sure, but the details and the devil will be in them.

Financial Urgency

The fact is that Rangers need more revenue. We have American owners who are, as we know, extremely capitalistic and all about sponsorship and commercial, and they will want to see a far greater revenue stream than is currently coming in. Rangers are a big brand, maybe not as big as some of our fans would like us to believe, just like Celtic aren’t as big a brand as their fans would like them to believe.

Global Potential

But nevertheless, Rangers are still a big brand and a global name, and there’s potential for so much more from Rangers in terms of financial growth and commercial stability. Bisgrove started to tap into that market. The sponsorships and deals that Rangers got when Bisgrove was the officer were outstanding. He got so many partnerships and deals for the club. Virani wasn’t as good. He was okay, but he wasn’t as good.

French In Focus

But French’s CV is impressive. Whether endorsements and sponsorship partnerships will be his main raison d’être, we cannot be sure, but he is now going to be the main boss of commercial at Ibrox, and we’ll be very interested to see how that one pans out.