It could well be the case that, following on from the rollercoaster McLeish years, ‘worry' has become the default position of a portion of the Ibrox faithful. This view can be taken as both understandable and irrational, however I feel that with the emergence of a new era we need to move beyond previous years of hurt and frustration.
It is apparent that the worry emanating from sections of the support surrounds the lack of signings. This is the pet hate of all football supporters who always feel that one extra buy will make a significant difference between success and failure (naturally we all have names that would be ideal for any given position - God bless Football Manager). There is no doubting that inspired signings can have an impact but there are other things that matter in football teams more than any single component – team spirit, fitness, motivation, discipline and belief. Taking these individual attributes into consideration, Rangers have already made their inspired signing: Paul Le Guen himself.
Le Guen arrives at the club with one of the biggest reputations in Europe and expectations are high. Along with his lofty reputation come commendations from the men at the pinnacle of European football. His chairman at Lyon, Jean-Michel Aulas, was desperate for his man to remain at the French club: “He behaved with elegance and intelligence. Ideally we want to find Paul's double.” This is high praise from a club able to attract managerial candidates of the highest calibre. One other observer noted that “a dressing room quickly susses out if their manager knows the game, and they came to the conclusion he most certainly did.” Arsene Wenger, his close friend, has built a reputation on discovering potential stars and he sees in Le Guen a man similar to himself.
There in lies the key to the future success of Le Guen at Rangers. Given unlimited resources most men who know anything about football can buy their way to victory and hence trophies. Many leagues in Europe have become immersed in a sea of cash. For this reason alone maybe it explains why Paul Le Guen has arrived on our shores and not in a more lucrative elsewhere. For those mere mortals who have to do it the hard way (i.e. on a fiscally responsible budget) football knowledge can be the silver bullet. I am very much of the belief that a good manager does not need many millions but an eye for talent and potential. Le Guen's track record proves that he has such powers of foresight and has built a reputation not only of spending money wisely but by nurturing and developing the youth of the game. Doing it the hard way, as I have suggested, is very much what drives Paul Le Guen forward. In case running a marathon across the Sahara wasn't enough, he himself states: “I'm certainly up for the challenge. Indeed I'm looking forward to it.”
The additions that Le Guen has thus far made to the Rangers first-team squad imply he is working towards having a more dynamic set-up that will include more youngsters being given an opportunity to show their worth. In my opinion one of the major failings of the McLeish era was the lack of trust shown in youth, especially considering the sheer incompetence of certain more experienced players.
Jeremy Clement – so stubbornly sought by Le Guen – has perhaps the highest profile of the younger signings. Without having seen a great deal of him he is a signing that immediately inspires, especially given Le Guen's history with young midfielders – including one ultimately sold for £24m – and the recent comparison to Didier Deschamps by Gerard Houllier (“Rangers have signed a little gem.”) A similarly priced signing of the McLeish era – Dragan Mlandenovic – never received nearly as much praise and certainly never attained any respectable level of performance. Does this suggest a gulf in the football knowledge of Rangers' managers, present and past?
Other youngsters now in the frame are Antoine Ponroy and William Stanger, both signed from Rennes, Karl Svensson and the promotion of Charlie Adam from the reserves (and St. Mirren).The oldest of these, Karl Svensson at 22, arrives with a great deal of potential and expectation from his native Sweden while the other three will be vying for first-team slots. With Kris Boyd, Chris Burke, Steven Smith and Alan Hutton already established players (despite the questions marks over Hutton) there is a nucleus of youth growing within the senior squad. If Le Guen can help them reach the potential he clearly sees in them, something very special may be being built at Ibrox. As time moves on Le Guen will undoubtedly add further younger players to his squad. His philosophy of team building is evident and is in motion.
His extensive knowledge of the game will not be forgotten when it comes to picking the starting eleven for his first competitive game against Motherwell. It is vital to supplement youth with quality experience and his other signings highlight that he is not naive enough to place the immense Old Firm pressure solely on the shoulders of his youngsters. Lionel Letizi will likely start behind a youthful looking back four and all of his experience will be vital in key stages of the match. Barry Ferguson will return as a captain who has done it all in Scottish football and new signing Libor Sionko has useful experience having played in the Champions League. Dado Prso always gives off the aura of a man unfazed by any situation. There is a mix of youthful energy and experience in the squad. A balance has been reached. Youngsters will no longer be overlooked in favour of career underachievers with higher wage packets than their talents were ever deserving of.
The concern with this squad is the lack of quality depth. Players like Jose-Karl Fanfan, Olivier Bernard and Nacho Novo are still on the payroll. Having lived with these players over the last year we know that they simply do not have the motivation or the ability to make an impact in a tough situation. This resolve deserted them when the club needed it most and for that there should be no second chances. I believe that, off the bat, we have a good starting line-up but if injuries occur then our lack of cover in defence and up front will affect the squad.
Signings can, of course, only be completed if the resources are available for a particular player and there is a belief that Le Guen is not being backed by the moneymen at Ibrox Stadium. People think that David Murray is not being a man of his word and is not giving the new manager the budget that he promised us all.
The only thing that will have changed about the budget is the rhetoric David Murray is using the describe it. David Murray, as all football chairmen have done, will have told his new manager how much money is available for transfers and the wage budget. Le Guen has agreed to this budget as he clearly feels it is enough to rebuild this squad and carry out the remediation work he deems necessary. He – in tune with his calm demeanour – states himself "I knew the financial situation. We talked about that several times before I came here, and it is not a problem.”
It is my belief that Le Guen's budget will increase for next season. Following our disastrous league campaign we are confined to the UEFA Cup, missing out on the pot of gold guaranteed by Champions League qualification. This allows Le Guen to fully concentrate on the number one priority: winning back the SPL title. The squad we currently have, when compared with our two major challengers, is good enough to do that and Le Guen has built this team specifically with that in mind. We may simply not have the many millions to spend on players just now. Erring on the side of caution with finances is the safe way forward having only emerged from years of downsizing and cutbacks. Once we are guaranteed Champions League football again Le Guen can make use of a bigger budget and buy better players.
.This inability to completely overhaul a squad clearly still inclusive of the deadwood that let us down so badly last year is no bad thing. Le Guen has added a number of his own signings to the battle-scarred Alex McLeish squad. But he has not bought an entire new team and his intention never was to do that. A good squad will be built gradually and, as discussed earlier, youth will play a major part in that. Spreading his budget over two seasons allows Le Guen time to mould his team gradually: we have time, as he himself always states.
Considering how Le Guen has overhauled the training of the squad, it is evident that he is a man who knows what he wants. To play for him you have to be at peak physical condition and slackers need not apply: dare I say a few players from last season will have received quite a shock upon the resumption of pre-season training. And you better do it while acting like a professional. For further information contact Fernando Ricksen.
Paul Le Guen is the right man at the right time for Rangers and we must not forget the euphoria that surrounded his appointment. We knew we were getting a man with a reputation bigger than the sun and that he had chosen us – the Rangers – over various other prestigious clubs. Nothing at Ibrox will be left to chance and we must regain the mentality of being a club destined for success. Now is most definitely not a time to panic but to embrace the new dawn. Described as being elegant and intelligent, we have already witnessed this first hand. Nothing less should be expected of a Rangers manager and Paul Le Guen fits the bill better than anyone else.
MJS