Sunday Post Article

[ian1964 10,761]

Murray tips Celts

to retain the title

 

 

By Ron Scott

 

SIR DAVID MURRAY fully expects to spend well in excess of �£10 million on new players before the transfer window closes.

Yet the Rangers chairman admits Celtic remain favourites to win the title.

ââ?¬Å?They have won the Championship for the last two seasons and the bookies have made them favourites this time, too,ââ?¬Â he conceded.

ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s difficult to disagree.

ââ?¬Å?But we must make a serious challenge and be there or thereabouts. We canââ?¬â?¢t afford to be so far behind Celtic again.ââ?¬Â

Rangers have already spent around Ã?£5 million on new faces, but Murray insisted, ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢re not finished yet. Weââ?¬â?¢ll make at least two more quality signings, if not three. We definitely want another top-class striker.ââ?¬Â

Rumours

Murray played down rumours in France that his club are about to sign 30-year-old striker Daniel Cousin from Lens for �£1 million, and re-iterated they wonâ��t be increasing their �£1.5 million bid for Kilmarnockâ��s Stevie Naismith.

He�s determined not to break the club�s wage structure.

ââ?¬Å?Meeting the Ã?£4.4 million transfer fee to Hibs for Scott Brown was not a problem. But we were not prepared to pay the Ã?£25,000-a-week heââ?¬â?¢s reputedly on at Celtic,ââ?¬Â said Murray.

ââ?¬Å?Before you know it the deal ends up costing around Ã?£14-Ã?£15-million by the time you add on wages for a five-year contract.

ââ?¬Å?We must have parity in the dressing-room.

ââ?¬Å?Young Scottish players coming through can expect to earn between Ã?£2000 and Ã?£3000-a-week, rising to Ã?£6-7000 if they get a decent run in the first team.

ââ?¬Å?By the time theyââ?¬â?¢re regulars, the figure is between Ã?£10-12,000, going as high as Ã?£16,000-a-week with bonuses.

ââ?¬Å?The key is to reach the Champions League proper. Thatââ?¬â?¢s where the club makes money and the players earn huge bonuses.ââ?¬Â

Revealed

Rangersâ�� financial figures will be revealed this week and itâ��s anticipated they will show a debt of around �£12 million.

But Murray insisted, ââ?¬Å?Our debt is totally manageable.ââ?¬Â

He has now entered his 20th year as chairman, and admits he won�t go on for ever.

ââ?¬Å?Weââ?¬â?¢ve won 13 titles in these 19 years, but some time Iââ?¬â?¢ll decide I donââ?¬â?¢t want to do this forever,ââ?¬Â he said.

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢ve been on the dancefloor with a couple of interested parties, but Iââ?¬â?¢ll only sell my legacy if Iââ?¬â?¢m convinced the future of the club is in good hands.

ââ?¬Å?There is no point someone having to beg, steal and borrow to buy the club then having nothing left to invest.

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m re-invigorated since Walter Smith returned and I remain committed as proved by the money being spent.ââ?¬Â

[Super_Ally 0]

Please don't be lying about bringing in the 2-3 quality players for �£5mil+.

[ian1964 10,761]

Please don't be lying about bringing in the 2-3 quality players for �£5mil+.

 

 

Time will tell mate :cheers:

[Gribz 919]

Please don't be lying about bringing in the 2-3 quality players for £5mil+.

 

Its an interesting comment from Murray is it!!

 

Getting through the qualifiers will probably deter who we go for out of our targets.

 

Its not a bad read from Murray and he is probably correct about Scott Brown.

[craig 5,199]

Its an interesting comment from Murray is it!!

 

Getting through the qualifiers will probably deter who we go for out of our targets.

 

Its not a bad read from Murray and he is probably correct about Scott Brown.

 

Very interesting, shows (if you believe him....) that we are still in the market for players which will make a strong squad even stronger - hopefully one of the players being sought is a creative midfielder.

 

I agree that getting through the CL qualifiers will probably determine how much more we will spend.

 

I agree, I think he might just be right about Brown - I can see the validity of what he says and if you pay Brown that amount of money (25k per week) then Hutton, Smith, Adam etc will expect similar wages and that will put us back in the financial mess we were in.

[Super_Ally 0]

Whittaker. �£1.8mil.

Striker, possibly still Naimsith

And?????

 

So around �£4mil for the other two.

[craig 5,199]

If you say Whittaker at 1.8, Naismith at 1.5 (if we wont increase our bid but still get him)

 

Then we have almost 2 mill on someone else too.

 

Hopefully this isn't a "moonbeams" type statement.

[Super_Ally 0]

If you say Whittaker at 1.8, Naismith at 1.5 (if we wont increase our bid but still get him)

 

Then we have almost 2 mill on someone else too.

 

Hopefully this isn't a "moonbeams" type statement.

 

Why are we even taking this seriously?

 

Would be good though wouldn't it.

[craig 5,199]

Why are we even taking this seriously?

 

Would be good though wouldn't it.

 

I think we take it seriously because we hope he will follow through.

 

I would be happy if we got Whittaker and a creative mid - if we can also get a striker too then I think we will be in very good shape to make this season a very close run thing with the Tims.

[Gribz 919]

Im still not too keen on either Naismith or Whittaker, but the one thing Smith seems to be able to do is mould great spirit and belief into a team.

 

Id still rather go out and get that "better" player - whoever he may be. 3.3 Million should get us someone half decent.

 

But SA is right, should we believe this statement from Murray?