Kevin Thomson opens up on Rangers exit, makes Gerrard/Liverpool comparison
Kelty Hearts manager Kevin Thomson has admitted that it was hard for him to leave his role in charge of Rangers’ B team to join the ambitious League Two new boys but confessed that he spoke with Steven Gerrard before making up his mind to move on from Ibrox and take the next steps of his own ‘jou...
Kelty Hearts manager Kevin Thomson has admitted that it was hard for him to leave his role in charge of Rangers’ B team to join the ambitious League Two new boys but confessed that he spoke with Steven Gerrard before making up his mind to move on from Ibrox and take the next steps of his own ‘journey’.
Thomson replaces former Ibrox team-mate Barry Ferguson in the hot seat at New Central Park and can see similarities between his exit from Rangers and Gerrard’s own departure from Liverpool three years ago.
The former Ibrox midfielder has lofty ambitions for his own managerial career after working his way through the ranks at the Gers’ Academy, insisting that he couldn’t get to where he wants to be by staying in an Academy role for “too long.”
“This is not a decision I took lightly,” said Thomson, as quoted by The Courier. “I’ve left a wonderful club that were incredibly good to me and, in turn, I’d like to think I was a good ambassador for Rangers.
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“But ultimately, if I want to be the Rangers manager in the future — or a manager at the top level — then Kelty Hearts is a brilliant place for me to learn my trade.
“The manager [Gerrard] was brilliant with me when we spoke and he understands that I’ve got my own journey.
“His own journey was a huge step and a difficult thing for him. He left Liverpool, a club he loved and was close to his heart. He never knew anything different from Liverpool but still walked away from an academy job there for an opportunity elsewhere.
“Of course, he was joining Rangers, which is a different proposition from me joining Kelty Hearts. But I’ve also made a decision to leave a club I love, where I was respected by the players, staff and — I’d like to think — the fans.
“That’s my journey, my path. I always believed that I had the right demeanour and mentality to be a top manager one day, and I’m not sure I can get there by spending too long in an academy.”
Will Thomson return to Rangers?
Thomson already has an impressive reputation as a coach through his work at Auchenhowie, but getting out and being a manager in his own right is something that had to come for him.
Moving to an ambitious side like Kelty should be a good fit for Thomson as he looks to help the Fifers consolidate their place in the SPFL and climb up the divisions.
“Everyone has dreams,” he added. “I’m not thinking ‘I’m looking for the Rangers job’ when I’ve just joined Kelty Hearts. I want to be the Kelty Hearts manager.
“But, I’ve got aspirations to get as far as I possibly can as an individual — and I want my players to feel the same.”
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