'We WILL sign 3 players', says Bain

[Frankie 8,562]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/2010/07/22/we-will-sign-the-players-to-help-walter-smith-win-three-in-a-row-for-rangers-pledges-chief-martin-bain-86908-22431209/

 

MARTIN BAIN last night insisted Rangers have not given up on winning a third consecutive title - despite the exodus of stars that has infuriated the club's fans.

 

The Ibrox chief executive spoke exclusively to Record Sport following the sale of Danny Wilson, who put pen to paper on a three-year deal at Liverpool yesterday.

 

The youngster became the sixth member of Walter Smith's title-winning side to leave the club this summer and the Rangers boss has taken a squad containing only 13 senior pros to Australia on their pre-season tour, amid fears even more key men could be offloaded before the transfer window closes.

 

Now, in a no-holds-barred Q and A, Bain admits they face a huge battle to retain their league crown as he and Smith try to work wonders within the constraints of a financial plan that continues to crush the crisis-hit club.

 

But, despite the continuation of the cost-cutting purge, Bain insists Smith will be given money to bring in three new players as the veteran boss makes signings for the first time in two years.

 

And while pleading with supporters not to press the panic button, the chief executive remains adamant that he and Smith have not thrown in the towel on Rangers' title defence.

 

Bain said: "As things stand right now we need three new players - guys of a decent standard.

 

"At the moment we have a couple on the radar, players we are looking at. It's two at the moment but by the end of the transfer window I hope to have signed three."

 

So far Kris Boyd, Nacho Novo, DaMarcus Beasley, Stevie Smith, Kevin Thomson and Wilson have departed this close season and speculation remains rife over the future of other big-name players such as Kenny Miller and Madjid Bougherra.

 

Bain cannot fully rule out any more sales but insists Smith was bracing himself for this summer exodus in the knowledge that it will free up funds for a transfer kitty, albeit a limited one.

 

He said: "We both know the players we want to go for. We were also well aware that this current situation 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 the cash that generates.

 

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

 

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

 

Bullishly, though, Bain is adamant that Smith will scrape together the necessary resources to underpin his bid to win a third league title on the spin.

 

He said: "It's going to be a difficult one - perhaps the hardest one yet.

 

"But I would temper that by saying that if the fans show patience and continue to buy season tickets - and if we can manage to 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."

[Frankie 8,562]

Actions. Than. Louder. Words. Speak.

 

Rearrange the popular phrase, Martin.

[gavin3084 0]

I don't really know what he is telling us that we don't already know, we know we need players I would suggest more than 3 at the moment and I would reckon there will be another player or 3 to go! Is he also saying that they nd 2 sell season tickets to ensure new players come in seems to me he is bribein us although I have already renewed my ticket which u have to do in may before the transfer window opens funnily enough I don't think the supporters are being treated fairly let's face it without us there would be know club, we need respect and honest answers!

[Frankie 8,562]

Well said mate...

[Stefanovitch 0]

Fair play to Bain. At least he's speaking which is more than can be said for our chairman or majority shareholder.

 

I also take from Bains words that any sales will also generate funds to sign players and not all funds received are going to the debt.

 

Basically players have been identified (Koren & Goncalves possibly) and we're waiting on the players decisions. The third potential signing may actually cost a transfer fee?

[chilledbear 16]

"But I would temper that by saying that if the fans show patience and continue to buy season tickets - and if we can manage to 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."

 

 

If If If If..............Millions of �£�£�£�£s Supporters have spent on ST etc. The least they deserve is the whole truth.

[bmck 117]

The more I think about this, the more I believe that our current strategy is based on the idea that this is our last year of champions league football and the revenue it brings. Even winning the league, the money men, I imagine, will statistically think it's too uncertain to count on getting through qualifying ties, especially with Ally in charge. Sound investment this year would make this more likely, but not certain, and leave us without the ability to recoup. It sounds a bit far fetched (especially the thought that they're planning that far ahead) but it seems in keeping with their general strategy of going forward with the mimimum possible resources and taking any success as a bonus - they seem unwilling to speculate to accumulate in even the most basic sense.

[bmck 117]

Also, 3 players just isn't enough. You can't lose all those players who could reasonably expect to start a game, and replace them with just 3 players 'of a decent standard'. Making a big deal of promising that is like some company taking double the amount off on a direct debit and saying not to worry, that they'll promise to pay most of it back so long as you're patient. GRRRR.

[Frankie 8,562]

The more I think about this, the more I believe that our current strategy is based on the idea that this is our last year of champions league football and the revenue it brings. Even winning the league, the money men, I imagine, will statistically think it's too uncertain to count on getting through qualifying ties, especially with Ally in charge. Sound investment this year would make this more likely, but not certain, and leave us without the ability to recoup. It sounds a bit far fetched (especially the thought that they're planning that far ahead) but it seems in keeping with their general strategy of going forward with the mimimum possible resources and taking any success as a bonus - they seem unwilling to speculate to accumulate in even the most basic sense.

 

No doubt about it mate.

 

The bank will not allow any risk-taking that much is clear.

 

They will take any opportunity to absorb any income in order to ensure their long term debt is reduced asap. We can only hope that not all such income is given to that and some is used for transfers and/or put aside for a 'rainy day'.

 

Until the club are more open with the fans in that regard, we just don't know what is happening. That is unfair when they constantly plea for our investment.

[ascender 352]

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.