Former Rangers star Poised for Emotional Ibrox Homecoming Under Derek McInnes

Former Rangers kitman Jim McAllister looks set for a return to the club that parted ways with him under contentious circumstances three years ago. According to the Rangers Review, the 40-year-old is expected to rejoin the first-team setup now that Derek McInnes is in charge at Ibrox, following what have been described as constructive conversations with the club’s hierarchy.

The prospective return is being framed as one piece of a wider overhaul of Rangers’ football operations, both on the pitch and behind the scenes. For McAllister personally, it would mark a full-circle moment: he built his reputation at the club working alongside the late Jimmy Bell, one of Scottish football’s most respected kitmen, and took over running the department himself after Bell’s death in 2022.

That tenure, however, didn’t end well. McAllister was dismissed from his role during James Bisgrove’s time as chief executive, a decision he later challenged — successfully. An employment tribunal found in his favour, ruling the sacking both unfair and a breach of contract, and ordering Rangers to pay him £13,000 in damages.

At the time, McAllister spoke publicly about the toll the episode had taken, thanking those who had supported him through the tribunal process and describing being wrongly accused as a source of personal strain that extended to his family and friends, not just himself

McAllister didn’t stay out of work for long. He moved to Saudi Arabia to take up a position with Al Ettifaq, where he was reunited with former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard. From there, his path led to the international stage: he was appointed kit manager with the Scottish FA in April, a role that saw him form part of Steve Clarke’s backroom staff at the World Cup.

Coming back to Rangers now, under a different manager and a reportedly reshaped football department, would close the loop on a departure that clearly still carries some weight for McAllister given how openly he addressed it at the time. If the move goes through, it adds another thread to the broader changes taking shape at Ibrox as McInnes puts his own stamp on the club’s operations.