RANGERS chief executive Martin Bain has been elected to the SPL Board of Directors.
The SPL announced today following their annual general meeting that the Ibrox chief executive has joined Campbell Christie of Falkirk, Hibs chairman Rod Petrie and Eddie Thompson from Dundee United.
Chairman Lex Gold was unanimously re-appointed as chairman for a 10th consecutive year.
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ADAM OWEN admits Rangers are benefitting from Scotland’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 as they build fitness ahead of the new season.
Had the national team made it to the finals in Austria and Switzerland, several players from Ibrox would have been part of their squad for the competition.
As it was, being beaten in the race there by France and Italy meant none of Walter Smith’s men went to the tournament.
Indeed, only Brahim Hemdani and DaMarcus Beasley were involved in summer football for Algeria and the United States respectively in World Cup qualifiers.
For everyone else, getting as much rest as possible means those who aren’t injured have returned in better condition than they might have been in otherwise.
Owen, Gers’ head of sport science, said: “Nobody being at Euro 2008 from Rangers means the players came back to us a little bit fresher.
“We’ve still got a couple of people who have been off playing for their countries in World Cup qualifiers, lads such as DaMarcus and Brahim.
“That isn’t a problem in the grand scheme of things, even if the fact they’ve been away does hamper us slightly in terms of conditioning.
“Because they’ve been playing games, at least they don’t need to go through the same kind of pre-season schedule that everyone else follows.
“That’s fine if that’s only the situation with a couple of players but recovery is just as important as training or playing.
“From that point of view, it would have been more difficult for us to get everyone in the right shape if Scotland had been playing in Austria and Switzerland.
“We would have had to integrate the extra players who were away further down our pre-season schedule rather than have them here when we did but that wasn’t the case.”
Source: Rangers
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If Spanish defender Carlos Cuellar gathered most of the Ibrox plaudits last season, it was the arrival of a less-heralded signing which proved the bedrock for Rangers’ stamina-sapping four-pronged assault on silverware.
Sports scientist Adam Owen moved to Ibrox on the recommendation of coach Kenny McDowall, whom he had impressed during their time together in the youth ranks at city rivals Celtic.
Rangers duly headhunted their man from Sheffield Wednesday in March and it was his fitness and conditioning work which helped Walter Smith’s side cope with a punishing run-in which saw them juggle their quest for the UEFA, CIS and Scottish Cups with a hearty pursuit of the SPL title.
In the end, only CIS Cup and Scottish Cup glory came the Ibrox side’s way but, so impressed was manager Smith at Owen’s effect on his squad that he is now looking forward in earnest to see what benefits can be gleaned from a full pre-season under the instruction of the former League of Wales player.
‘We started with Adam last season and he has been excellent,’ said Smith. ‘He worked very hard and brought a lot of different things to the club.
‘Last season showed that it was beneficial, so it’s going to be much the same this season - with one or two changes.
‘Most players nowadays are in decent condition when they come back. Gone are the days when players turn up half-a-stone heavier or whatever. We don’t get that now, it’s just a case of working in the first fortnight to top everything up.
‘Our new players (Kyle Lafferty and Kenny Miller) are settling in well. That’s not to say they are enjoying pre-season training, but it does give them a chance to settle in.
‘Kenny knows the majority of the guys and he’s one of those boys who is experienced enough to settle in quickly. Kyle is a bit younger and it will take him a little while to settle, but he has already shown he’s a good player.’
Source: Mail On Sunday
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