Former Rangers player and assistant coach Alex Rae has received praise from supporters of his new side, with their fans impressed with his shouts and work on the sidelines.
Rae played for the Gers between 2004 and 2006, winning a Scottish Premier League and League Cup double in 2004/05 before being part of the squad that reached the UEFA Champions League last 16 the following season but returned to the club as a coach on an interim basis working alongside Steven Davis after Michael Beale was sacked in 2023.
He earned a role on a full-time basis, working under Beale’s successor Phillipe Clement until the Belgian’s dismissal earlier this year.
He returned to work fairly quickly, being appointed as former Celtic player Mark Wilson’s assistant at Championship side Partick Thistle in June, having worked alongside Wilson doing punditry for Clyde 1’s SuperScoreboard.
Thistle are on a five game winning run in the second tier, and are six unbeaten since an opening day loss away to league leaders St Johnstone, and Rae has received praise from the Jags support.
Following the Maryhill side’s 1-0 win away to Glasgow rivals Queen’s Park on Tuesday night a Thistle supporter commented on his X page praising Rae, stating: “Alex Rae’s encouragement to the players from the touchline is amazing”, with replies from fellow supporters agreeing.
Fellow Jags supporters said in response: “Spot on, what a guy” and “Every call [he made] seemed to be spot on.”
Rae has managerial experience of his own with Dundee and St Mirren, but seems to be thriving in his new role at Thistle and his expertise is spurring the team on towards promotion, with the team in 2nd place, safely inside the playoff places.
The 56-year-old mentioned that he had spent some time with Thistle as a player, without signing in the mid-ninties, commenting on the official Partick Thistle website he said: “I actually know my way around The Wyre Stadium at Firhill already as I trained here for a while back in 1996/ 97 when I was a Sunderland player. Murdo MacLeod was in charge.”
While his spell back at Rangers was not as successful as his playing career, he did win a League Cup medal in 2023, and it is good to see a loyal Rangers man succeeding in his post-Ibrox career.