Alex McLeish - The Man For The Job?

Last updated : 10 October 2003 By Mox

However, after the recent Old Firm defeat at Ibrox to Celtic, some fans have claimed that the man who won the treble, and a world record 50th league title is a one trick pony. Having won only 2 of the last 5 Old Firm games (including last season's CIS final) people are becoming somewhat anxious over McLeish¹s tactical naivety and his inability to change from 4-3-3 when things aren¹t going our way. I don¹t see it this way.

Alex McLeish has been a revelation at Rangers. He's worked wonders and brought together a dressing room that had previously been in tatters. He¹s also been known to be able to pull a rabbit or 2 out the hat when it comes to the transfer front. Take for example his summer signing's: Emerson, Capucho, Ostenstad, Zurab and Vanoli - all signed for less than £1m. I've always seen McLeish as a very astute manager, and he proved that at Hibs with signings like Zittelli and Sauzee; the latter of whom went onto manage the club. Given our current debt (a reported £68m) McLeish is exactly the type of manager we need. His shrewd approach in the transfer market can only benefit our club, and I'm sure he has a few tricks up his sleeve. Therefore I was delighted to find out that he has recently signed a 4 year extension to his Ibrox contract.

The question is, how long will he stay? The transfer of Barry Ferguson shortly after signing a 5 year contract proves that they mean nothing these days. Like Ferguson, McLeish has said that he'd love to stay with Rangers, but as the belt tightens, I can see him becoming increasingly frustrated with the limited budget he has at Ibrox. The only positive here is that (out with Man United and Real Madrid) every other club is in pretty much the same boat as us, so perhaps the temptation to move is somewhat lessened. For the next 5 years we're on a 'bread and water' diet i.e. we won't be making any big name signing's, and we're going to have to rely on home grown talent. This is where I feel that McLeish's true talents will start to show. He's already brought through young players like Gary O'Connor, Tam McManus, Kenny Miller and Scotland under-21 captain Ian Murray. With the likes of Chris Burke and Stephen Hughes in the under 21's at the moment, I think Eck is the man to bring them on.

However, Alex McLeish's talents are not only confined to on-field matters. He¹s also a gentleman off the park, and he deals with the media exceptionally well. Take for instance the recent diving incident involving Nuno Capucho. When McLeish was asked about it, he was able to make a joke about the matter whilst also inferring that the matter would be dealt with internally and the player would be given a ticking off. Thus saving the club and player little embarrassment. He¹s also very dignified when it comes to post-match interviews, and when you look at the record of Martin "shocking, shocking" O'Neill, you realise just what an asset he is for our great club. So Alex McLeish certainly knows the tricks of the trade, and it's only now that we'll start to see them. The man is indeed a magician, and there's no doubt in my mind that he's the man for Rangers.

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Mox