I haven't changed my mind as regards the comparison but was impressed with
Eck's extraordinary exploitation of the same resources that DA could barely
produce an effort from never mind a trophy.
The league was realistically beyond our reach when Alex took over in
December 2001, but the League Cup was not, and in a possible first for a
Rangers manager, he steered our progress to the trophy via beating the team
(Hibernian) that he himself had taken to the Quarter Finals.
This left the Scottish Cup as the only other realistic prize available to
him in his first season, and he duly snatched that and from right under our
rivals noses to boot. It may be worth noting that Eck's tactic back then of
using a 3-man attack against Celtic had once again worked wonders despite
being forced to play an injured De Boer and having lost Cannigia after only
16 minutes following an assault (unpunished of course) by Sutton. Thus ended
his first half-season and the Eck v Mon trophy scoreline of 2-1 in our
favour was looking ominous for the less self-deluded across the city.
Injuries once again dogged the Rangers side in 2002-03, Eck's first full
season, but once again McLeish used the resources available to much better
effect than his predecessor had. And so celebrated his first anniversary as
manager with what was now become a customary horsing of Celtic in December
2003. Despite being 1-0 down in the opening seconds Rangers showed sheer
grit and determination to finish the game 3-2 in our favour and retake the
top spot from our rivals. A battling comeback which earned Eck the title in
some quarters as ³The Motivator². Ironic as being unable to motivate is one
of the more fraudulent accusations frequently levied at him during more
difficult times.
Incredibly Rangers first ever defeat against Celtic under Eck did not
materialise until March 2003 when they went down 1-0 at Parkhead, but got
their revenge against those who were boasting about ³quadruples² the
following weekend with a 2-1 victory in the CIS Cup Final. Once again Eck's
Army had done the business when it mattered.
Serious motivation and effort was required as the Championship went to the
wire at the end of the 03-04 season, and something very special was
necessary against Dunfermline to ensure a wide enough goal difference to win
domestic footballs greatest prize. And something special is what we got, we
came, we saw, and we duly conquered in one of the most breath-taking
displays of attacking football ever witnessed at Ibrox Stadium.
But there was still something left in that understandably jaded squad,
enough fire was still in the engine to complete a glorious treble by lifting
the Scottish Cup a few weeks later. And so 2003 ended with the Eck v MON
Trophy Challenge latest score showing a very healthy 5-1 in McLeish's
favour.
But for many years financial storm clouds had already been forming in the
boardroom. And now they were about to burst like a tropical monsoon, not on
the perpetrators, but upon the managers head.
>From The Financial Brink To The Football Abyss
In the previous season Rangers had done well to take a treble despite our
historic injury list once again depriving us of the services of many key
players throughout the season. But now we were about lose a handful of class
permanently and in one fell swoop as ³Hurricane Hard Times² swept
relentlessly through the playing field. Before the new season had even began
Amoruso, Ferguson, McCann, Numan and others had all been ruthlessly blown
away by the tornado. McLeish was then handed a bag of coppers together with
a ridiculous demand that he repairs the damage within an impossibly brief
time scale.
Although the sight of a Rangers manager desperately grubbing about in the
last-minute Bosman Bargain Baskets was humiliating for us as it must have
been for him, it was not entirely unexpected. What was shocking however were
the gross salaries offered to these retirement home chancers. Had our
Directors learnt nothing? Why did we not spend more on transfer fees and
less on wages and get some half-decent journeymen in to at least fill the
gaps?
The lack of effort from the Boardroom Bargain Buys last season was pathetic
and indeed what we saw was an almost fraudulent exhibition of indolence from
so-called professional football players. The manager was stuck with them and
his frustration was tangible. His mortification was not lessened by a fickle
support more willing to lay the blame entirely on his head rather than
criticise the con-merchants on the pitch. Those in the boardroom whose
fiscal incompetence had created one of the most disgraceful teams ever to
shame a Rangers jersey had also once again escaped the brunt of what they
were due.
The one positive to come out of 2003-04 season, was that with the
Championship all but over by December, McLeish had more time to look around
and build his own squad from the limited resources available.
He rid the Rangers of much of last seasons desperate Board Room Boobies and
replaced them with more thoughtful purchases. To complete the job a couple
of midfielders were required to balance the team, and some journeymen for
injury cover, but bizarrely the biscuit tin was suddenly snapped shut before
the job was finished.
Eck's desperate pleas for a midfield were met with an unsurprising stony
silence from the Boardroom. Even the fans appeared blissfully unaware as to
how damaging this refusal of funds could be to be to our ambitions. It was
only when the fans actually witnessed the resulting grotesque charade of a
Rangers manager frantically trying to compensate for this serious deficit on
the football pitch did the support finally give voice.
Did they join Eck's call for a midfield? Alas no. Such is the passion of
football fans that it often clouds their reason. And thus the calls for the
manager's head gather momentum, as if a replacement would be some sort of
Messiah that can create a midfield and injury cover out of nothing.
While we can understand the impetuousness of the support, it is surely
unforgivable for a Rangers Chairman to publicly threaten a Rangers manager
with dismissal whose only crime has been trying to cope with the
consequences of the Chairmans own fiscal recklessness.
When it comes to players the directors obviously prefers yappin to Yakin,
and at the end of the day, their ignorance and pig-headiness will destroy
our team just as they almost ruined our club. Tragically on this occasion
they appear to have backing from the fans. But surely if the board cannot
source funds for a basic squad then they have no further useful purpose at
our club?
Eck only requires basic tools to demonstrate that he is the same tactician
and motivator that created history for himself and the club in his first two
seasons. Only then will he be able to prove whether he has changed in this
respect.
But alas for Eck, the team, and the ultimate ambitions of the Rangers, it
appears that a certain Lurking Leopard in the boardroom hasn't changed his
spots.
Bear Able