I asked Paraag Marathe a burning Rangers question and his answer tells me the bin fire era at Ibrox is over
The Hotline Live team weren't sugar-coating the current state of play at Ibrox but Marathe is showing early signs he can help turn it around
A bin fire.
That's what the Hotline Live team think of Rangers ' commercial operation over the last few years – but believe Paraag Marathe is showing early signs he can get it under control.
The new San Francisco 49ers-backed owners have inherited a club in a state of decline but feel that with controlled investment and good leadership, there is potential to be unlocked.
Marathe, also chairman at Leeds United, will play a critical role in that and he faced up to shareholders for the first time alongside Andrew Cavenagh at the club's EGM.
There was a lot to unpack from that but, to our man Scott McDermott who was there for the event, one thing in particular stood out.
He said on tonight's Hotline Live: "I asked Paraag Marathe what would be the tangible benefits of the 49ers just being associated with Rangers. He went into a bit of detail – but there was one simple wee thing he said that stood out.
"He said 'We're dealing with commercial partners every day for the 49ers, and now Rangers will be mentioned in those conversations.'
"Once Rangers are mentioned to those commercial partners, they might want to find out about them and get involved. Just a simple thing like that, conversations with big companies in America who are associated with the 49ers, could make a massive difference."
And Keith Jackson agreed as he laid into the commercial operation in recent years, and in particular former CEO James Bisgrove's role in it.
He said: "It's huge, because the commercial side of the club has been an absolute bin fire. Everything that James Bisgrove touched had catastrophe written all over it. So they are tied into a lot of commercial deals that I'm sure the Americans will be going through with a fine tooth comb to see how they can get out of it at the earliest possible stage."
Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season.
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