But Walter Smith is no mug and it looks like he has unearthed a couple of gems in his quest for value for money.
Darcheville has arrived at Ibrox at the tail-end of his career, having been around the block a few times without actually picking up too much in the way of honours. His hunger for success should add an edge to his game from which Rangers can only benefit.
One of my mates referred to him as 'Sebo with brains'. I prefer to see him as 'Dado with pace...and attitude!'. Lack of pace up front has been one of our problems for quite some time but this guy is electric. Yes, he is a bit of a hot-head who might be inclined to lamp an opponent or two off the ball but it is his pace which will terrify SPL defenders.
Put it this way, when he turns McManus or Pressley, they'll need a feckin motorbike to catch him!!!
With Walter seeming to fancy the 5-4-1 formation, a system more inclined to work with a pacey front man, like it did at the Scum Dome in March when Sebo ran Septic's back line ragged, I reckon Darcheville is tailor-made for the role. However, on the evidence of the pre-season games, Kris Boyd appears to be the manager's choice, with the Frenchman's pace being utilised in getting support to Boydie quickly. Its not the way I would do it but, hey, what do I know?
Of course, JCD's temperament is cause for concern but didn't we spend so much of the past two seasons complaining about lack of fight in the team? He is an experienced player, he will have tangled with so many intimidating defenders over the years and won't need to be told about being cute when it comes to dishing out some retribution. Pick your moment, big man, but never lose sight of the fact that the best way to sort out football's hammer-throwers is to batter the ball into the back of their net.
Carlos Cuellar certainly took his goal well against Ajax but I don't think we should expect him to figure too frequently on the scoresheet. While I'll be very disappointed if Darch doesn't score at least 20, Wee Nacho's new pal will be judged on the danger he snuffs out at the other end. And while a moment's lapse was punished at Falkirk ten days ago, the loss of the goal was down as much to the number of changes made at half-time as to any lack of concentration from Carlos.
He has a commanding physical presence about him, winning just about everything in the air and he is very comfortable in possession of the ball on the deck. Comparing my first glance of Cuellar to my early impressions of Svensson, I can't help thinking how differently it all might have been if PLG had Walter's know-how in spotting the right man for such a vital position.
Having checked out the recordings of our two UEFA Cup games againt Osasuna, Carlos didn't stick out too prominently for me, although it must be said that at no time in the 180 minutes of the tie did our attack ask too many questions of their defence. But obviously Walter saw something to convince him that this was the man for the job and I'm backing his judgement.
While on the subject of supporting the manager's signings, I've liked what I've seen of Lee McCulloch and, although our initial interest in him did nothing
to quicken my heartbeat, I was more than a wee bit pissed off with the negativity which seemed to envelope the FF Messageboard. Lee is a journeyman pro, hardly the sort to set the Champions League alight, but surely good enough to do a job for us in the SPL and, whether we like it or not, getting back on top at home has to take opriority over any European dreams for now.
Broadfoot and Gow should be good long-term buys, Roy Carroll will push Allan McGregor all the way for the number one slot, it will be interesting to see how Andy Webster shapes up in defence and, having flopped at Man City, DaMarcus Beasley must be looking to make a point or two to silence his critics. Whatever else may transpire, lack of motivation should not be a problem for anyone in our dressing-room this time around.
If any of the new guys have a problem, they could do a lot worse than check out how Jean-Claude Darcheville and Carlos Cuellar have quickly knuckled down to the job in hand.
LITTLE BOY BLUE