ascender

Roberts is a big powerful forward but his scoring record isn't the greatest and he's the wrong side of 30 for my liking.

Sold!

Don't have the stats on that one but Naismith started plenty of games as a striker in his first season

I can only remember a handful where he played up front and a number of them were from the subs bench. Strangely whenever he did play up front with Boyd their interplay was quite good, but it was never a partnership given a chance.

Both are young players still, so its not exactly a bad position to be in. No pun intended with that, but I think both have had a hard time trying to establish themselves as they've been regularly played out of their preferred position, well, certainly Naismith has. Naismith looked like he had great potential when he signed and I'm a bit said he's not had more of a chance through the middle.

Anyway, I think I've said enough on Lafferty elsewhere, I just don't think he's good enough for us unfortunately and while the stats for Naismith are poor, I don't think they tell the whole story. If we go on stats alone, then why did Kris Boyd come in for so much stick?

He's just never looked good enough apart from some very brief flashes towards the end of the season. But even then, it wasn't brief flashes of something special like you'd see from a typical flair player, it was brief moments of him doing what you'd expect from a striker.

I still think the guy needs to grow up a bit both on and off the park. He is young and we've paid a lot of money for him, you also have the problem that he was possibly playing out of position (or was he, as no-one seems to know what his preferred position actually is). He looks awkward with the ball at his feet, especially running at players, but I guess that's typical for such a tall, lanky guy. So why is he playing wide then?

I don't think he's been a scapegoat at all, I think he's just been really disappointing and I really don't like the way he goes down so dramatically at the slightest of touches, or no touch at all. If it was an opposition player we'd all be up in arms about it. I know we're a fickle bunch, but after his goals at the end of the season, it was as if we'd forgotten just how rank awful he'd been leading up to that point in how many more games previously? It was also a bit weird, because as I said before, its not as if he'd suddenly transformed in to some amazing striker. He scored some goals. He was also still seen to blooter the ball in to row Z just as many times as usual or mis-control it or give possession away.

I hope he comes good, but on the evidence so far its going to be an uphill struggle for him. We've not signed anyone yet, but we're being linked with strikers which makes me think he's going to drop down the pecking order further this season.

Apparently he can also play wide, so maybe there is some truth in the rumour.

Keep Webster.

That is all. We have enough players who can play at CB as it is.

Herald reckons we've increased our bid and FF says Bain is in Austria today.

So, apparently we've increased our offer for the lad and someone on FF says Bain has flown out to Austria this morning.

Has this guy got one or two years left on his contract, I've seen both mentioned now?

Up front I've no doubt that any two from our strikers can score regularly in the SPL. The problem for me is that they need good service which comes back to the midfield and also our tendancy to hoof the ball up from the back if we're struggling to break teams down.

Like Frankie said, if we're looking at two strikers, then maybe someone will be moving on. Lafferty and Naismith haven't really had much of a chance through the middle and with our lack of funds, maybe they're destined for another season playing wide. Velicka is here, so assuming he gets fit, I'd rather we keep him and give him a chance, his record suggests he's at least score goals for us so is maybe a better option than someone who's untried in the SPL.

What's strange is that we seem to be seriously interested in Georgie Welcome and Nikica Jelavic. Both play up front and Jelavic is going to cost 2-3M by the look of things. Does this mean we're looking at another season with Naismith and Lafferty being asked to play the wide role again? I hope not.

Usual thing in this day and age, a single newspaper runs the story and it spreads. Even rumors from forums do the rounds this way now before being posted back on the original forum some days later.

Can see both sides to this. On the one hand, surely we should have done our homework on him by now, but on the other its good to see us being cautious.

The fee's never irrelevant though, not only does it mean more money going in to the club, but the higher the fee, the bigger the chance (however remote) that some of that money will get invested in the team.

Its not about his ability, but his attitude (see last season) and whether he actually wants to be here or stay here.

Webster had a fantastic season with United last year, so if his injury problems are behind him, then he's the sort of player who we should be looking to be a first pick for a good few years to come imo. Especially if he wants to stay here and play for us.

While Bougherra isn't as transparent as certain others have been in the past (Cousin for example), all the usual, predictable signs from an unsettled foreign player are there. Although I'm not sure if we've had the mis-quoted article from a foreign newspaper yet.

I'd have thought our strongest CH pairing would be Bougherra and Webster, but I can see the logic of letting Boogie go if he we get a decent offer for him. If the stories about him wanting to go, his mystery fitness problems etc continue, then I'd rather he just went. We want a solid CH pairing who could play together for a good few years rather than chopping and changing every season or so.

My contribution.

I thought this might be the case, shin splints can be a real PITA to get rid of, but I swear I saw some article in the last week or so saying it was no longer a concern which was strange.

Shame, I thought he looked like a slightly superior version of Chris Burke.

There's nothing like being damned with faint praise!

Strangely, I think we were looking more vulnerable due to his lack of pace a couple of seasons back. Then we really did seem to play a lot deeper to compensate for him, but I didn't think it was as much of an issue last season.

I think this is the season where he'll step aside, although I'm sure it will be a gradual process. I really hope Webster comes in, stays fit and shows just how good a player he is because he's really impressed me every time I've seen him play. I guess then it comes down to whether Walter plays Weir alongside him with Bougherra at RB (if he's still here) or maybe makes Webster first pick and rotates someone in the other CB spot.

Given Weir's clear influence and his abilities, fitness, respect he commands etc, it would be a real shame for me if we didn't try to get him to stay on at the club in some sort of coaching capacity when he does hang up his boots.

Beattie? He's been linked with us on more than a few occasions in the past. No way he is going to take a massive pay cut to come up here.

Thanks Gribz!

Part two of that Q&A.

Q: What about external investment? Have you shelved the idea of finding a new buyer for the club?

A: I would be completely wrong to shelve any kind of avenue which might bring investment into the club. But the ownership side of it is a matter for David Murray. David would still say he is not going to stand in the way of the right people - people who could improve the welfare of Rangers. My own take is I fundamentally believe that if Rangers is to maintain the stature that it has throughout the world and in the Scottish environment then outside investment is needed urgently.

There are other clubs across the planet who face the same problems. The difference - the thing that makes Rangers unique - is that we have a responsibility to continue to compete for trophies. We wholeheartedly accept that responsibility.

 

Q: Do you and Walter believe you have the players to win next season's title?

A: We will never start off a season not believing we can win the championship but the reality is it's going to be a difficult one - perhaps the hardest one yet.

But I would temper that by saying, if the fans show patience and continue to buy season tickets, and we can bring the right three players over the line before the end of the transfer window, then it will give us a much better chance than we would appear to have at the moment.

Walter has a core of players he can rely upon. But he needs to add quality. What we don't need is to bring in last minute.com players who don't add value to the club.

 

Q: Players such as Jerome Rothen you mean. Lesson learned?

A: That was a painful lesson. We felt we needed to add something to the squad and had been looking for a wide player. It didn't work out. But for every Rothen there is a Bougherra or a Davis.

That's the kind of quality we need.

Walter wants a wide player but he talks to managers across Europe who are all chasing the same thing. Everyone wants good wingers - the difference is these clubs have �£40m to spend and they still can't land one. That's what makes it such a hard job.

 

Q: How would you describe your relationship with Walter Smith? Is it being tested by this predicament?

A: Walter and I are working together.

We know what is required. In fact, he phoned me from Bangkok earlier today during the stop-over on the flight to Australia and made me laugh.

He said the only reason he was phoning was to ask if I had sold another player yet! I said no but I told him to check back in once he landed in Sydney!

We both know how difficult is but we also know the players we want to go for. We also knew this was inevitable. It is about bringing cash in now to make the pot as big as we can.

We don't want to end up selling people at the end of the window and then not have time to spend it.

We know it looks bad to be going to Australia with 13 players but if the fans have faith we will sort this out.

No, we won't have tens of millions to spend but we are doing what needs to be done.

Here's the full text which I think is well worth a read. I might be in the minority here, but I think Bain should at least get some credit for giving such an honest sounding interview. He doesn't appear to try and dress anything up in the way some others would and is quite straight to the point in so much as he can be given he's a paid employee of a company going through tough times.

A few things have really changed my mind about Bain. One was the change in his statements when Murray took a back seat in the day to day running of the club. Don't get me wrong, I know he still ultimately calls the shots, but almost immediately it was like the chains came off Bain.

And secondly was the way during the title celebrations that Bain was in amongst it and was welcomed by the players and staff. I just get the impression that he's regarded as one of the close knit team we seem to have at the moment and genuinely believe he is doing his best under trying conditions.

I agree, actions speak louder than words, but the big problem for us is that we still don't know exactly what the hell is going on behind the scenes. We don't know who's running our club, what their intentions are or just how bad things are with the bank. We've been fed so much bullshit from all sides over the last 4 months in particular, that its difficult to take anything at face value any more.

We just need to have faith that Walter's management will get us through this season and deliver three in a row. Its easy to look at Celtic spending money, but their current strategy seems to be very short-termistic and expensive. No club can afford to do that in the SPL and while times are tough for us, if we come through this, we might emerge from the other side with some extremely solid foundations both on and off the pitch which we can then build on.

Jul 22 2010 Exclusive by Keith Jackson

 

 

RANGERS chief executive Martin Bain is a man at the eye of a storm as Ibrox fans react furiously to the exodus of their championship-winning side.

While manager Walter Smith was taking a squad made up of just 13 senior pros to Australia, back in Glasgow Bain sat down with Record Sport's chief football writer Keith Jackson to explain what is going on behind the scenes at the crisis-hit club.

Six players have already left since the end of last season and one of them, Middlesbrough new boy Kevin Thomson, predicted in our paper yesterday that Smith's entire title heroes will be wiped out in less than two years.

Here, in an exclusive interview, our man asks the questions the fans want answered - and Bain pulls no punches on what is a dramatic situation for Scotland's champions.

 

Q: Rangers supporters are concerned by the dwindling numbers in Walter Smith's squad. Do you have any particular message for them?

A: The fans showed faith last season in people who they trusted to get the club through a difficult time. We are now going through another delicate period and I would simply ask our fans to continue to have faith.

The fact is, the financial situation is vastly better than it was this time 12 months ago - thanks to the efforts of Walter and the team.

But we are still in a situation which needs to be sensitively managed and we have to work within certain parameters. The difference is this time we have been allowed a little more freedom to manage the finances and juggle things in a way we couldn't last year.

 

Q: But you can understand why the fans might be beginning to panic?

A: Absolutely. I would react like that myself given what has gone on before at the club.

But what we are trying to do is strike a balance by bringing in a quality of player that is going to add an asset value to the club. There is no point in signing players of lesser quality which will only be detrimental to the club going forward.

It's difficult for two reasons. The first is, although we do have a transfer kitty, we have limited resources. The second is, we don't want to dive in and sign the wrong player for the sake of it.

Walter wants players in and we have talked a great deal about what is needed in order for us to win a third successive title.

 

Q: How many players do you both feel are needed to supplement the group?

A: As it stands we need three new players of a decent standard. At the moment we have a couple on the radar, ones we are looking at. It's two at the moment but by the end of the transfer market I hope to have signed three.

I know it's an old cliche but I would ask the fans to judge what we have done at the end of the summer as opposed to judging us now.

It looks bad right now. I accept that. But we are in control of what's going on. Thomson and Danny Wilson both wanted to leave. These were bits of business that had to be done.

Wilson in particular had nothing to do with the club's situation. We offered the player an awful lot of money to stay but he had made up his mind to go to Liverpool some time ago so at that point we had to maximise the asset value. As a matter of fact, we have done a good deal for a young boy who only had a year left on his contract. The reason we are in a dilemma with these players who only have a year left is largely to do with the way things were being run last year. It also has to do with the pot of money Walter and I have at our disposal. We realise it is of fundamental importance we add new players to the squad.

 

Q: Is it a source of embarrassment you have gone so long without signing a new player? Mo Edu was the last player you bought, in 2008.

A: Yes, there is no point in fooling anyone. We can't go another summer without signing new players. They add a freshness to the whole club and to the first-team squad. They give supporters value for their season ticket.

We would love to offer new contracts to the players who are here but we have to be realistic. We can't have both. We have to strike the right balance.

Our priority now is to bring in new players and then we can look at extensions. It is incredible a club of this stature has gone so long without signing new players. This trend can't continue. We are now in a position which allows us to sign players and we absolutely have to do that.

 

Q: Are you close to making any signings at this stage?

A: No. At this stage we are not close to completing anything. But we did offer nearly �£2million to Burnley for Chris Eagles. I just wasn't prepared to bow to those kind of wage demands. But that was proof we do have money and we are active in the market.

I have spoken to clubs about another couple of players and have been given indicative values. But Walter and I are watching how the market develops. We are not going to let this go on for ever but it is also extremely difficult to land a player in the current climate. The Eagles episode proves that. A boy from Burnley who didn't want to sign for Rangers? These players know they can make more money away from the SPL and that makes it difficult. But we will make sure we buy the right type of players. Neither myself or Walter will go down the route of signing the wrong players as a knee-jerk reaction. All we ask is the fans have a little bit of faith.

 

Q: Does Walter Smith feel he can maintain a level of competitiveness with a squad of only 16 players?

A: It is not ideal. No one is saying it is and injuries and suspensions then become a major concern.

But it will give younger players a chance to come in and show what they can do. What Walter has proved in abundance is he can get the best out of a solid core of players. We have a solid core of players who want to play for him. If we can just bring in three quality men for key positions it will give everyone a lift. But it is going to be difficult.

We want to bring in another two or three players of real quality. We want another Steve Davis - players who improve the quality of the team.

It would be wrong for me to say we are going to bring in another three Steves. But what I am trying to do is find three quality players rather than five or six squad fillers. That would be the downfall of the football club again.

 

Q: So the squad was bloated before?

A: Yes, it was bloated with players sitting around on the edges taking home big wages. We brought in players who weren't right for the club.

That's why Walter is absolutely correct in what he wants to do. He knows the numbers are not great but he would rather target quality than quantity.

It's my job right now to demonstrate we can accumulate as much money as we possibly can to allow us a chance of getting that extra quality.

 

Q: Do you intend to sell MORE players this summer then?

A: I am not going to say more sales are inevitable. That would only set alarm bells ringing. But I also don't want to treat our supporters as if they're stupid. They understand our situation. We are not promoting the sale of any player in our squad. We want to keep them all and add a bit of quality.

But you never know the intentions of some players. If it is their intention to go - by hook or by crook - inevitably they end up doing so.

But if that's the case I will ensure we get maximum value. What I won't do is allow them to leave at the last minute of the transfer window without getting the right value for the club.

We got good value for Wilson - a player who wanted to go. Anyone looking at that deal in isolation would agree we have done well there.

I accept the problem we face at the moment is that this appears to be becoming a trend.

 

Q: But the fans won't look at Wilson's sale in isolation. They look at the loss of Novo, Boyd and Thomson and they see a trend developing?

A: Boyd was offered �£18,000 a week and �£4000 a game. He knocked it back.

Would other people sitting in my shoes have given in to his demands and paid him more? I'm not so sure they would have.

Could we have tied him up earlier and then sold him on? Well he refused to go for �£3m in January so that argument doesn't cut it either.

Nacho was offered a decent increase to stay. He wanted a two-year extension but we only offered him one year. Why? Because it's up to us to change the mix. As much as our fans love Nacho Novo did they want to see him for another two years or would they prefer to see us use what money we have to bring in new players to freshen it up?

 

Q: You have an agreement with Lloyds Bank. Is it simply a

matter of reducing the overdraft by �£1m a year as had been previously stated?

A: There is no schedule to bring the debt down by a million a year. The bank wants its money back and has simply set us parameters which, although tight, have not handcuffed us.

They are just difficult circumstances but we can work within them.

The debt has come down but we are still paying for past transfers. That means, if we make �£10m it doesn't automatically come off the total of our debt. It is still too high but it is becoming more and more manageable.

I'm not sure how someone who apparently made 49 appearances for us last season and was one of the poorest paid at the club can be described as luxury we can't afford.

49? Wow, didn't realise it was that many. I just seem to remember game after game where I thought Novo would have been a better option than maybe 3 of the starting XI but he still got nothing more than a late appearance.

I know there's a contradiction there as Novo is a better impact player than a 90 minute man, but some of the performances on the wings in particular were dire and Novo never seemed to get a start ahead of them.