The rumour mill is rumbling, something has to happen soon, but we can only wait and wonder. The axe WILL fall, of that there is no doubt, all sorts of names are being mentioned, some possible, some impossible, some downright outrageous, and the guessing game will continue until the Minted One puts Eck out of his misery and confirms that enough is enough.
McLeish is the one who will pay the price and, as the bulk of the current squad are his signings, that is as it should be. But he is not solely responsible. For the second time in two and a half years, a shattered Shelltick have been allowed to regroup and regain the initiative while the Freckled One’s paymasters have indulged themselves in paper-shuffling exercises which, whilst making the balance sheet look a wee bit prettier, have effectively left the manager to work with his hands tied behind his back.
Our present plight is down to David Murray and Martin Bain. The debts incurred, the syphoning-off of a raft of Rangers-related business into Murray’s personal fortune, effectively aggravating the level of debt, the ludicrous three-year plan and great fire sale of 2003, the drip-drip-drip diminishing of our club’s ambitions, the insistence that the manager duck and dive at the lower end of the Bosman market, these all combined to bring us to the embarrassment of the Scum Dome on Wednesday night.
And the sacking of Big Eck won’t change things one little bit. This slump hasn’t bottomed out yet. Having abandoned all pretence of producing the stars of the future at a genuine football academy at Auchenhowie, preferring to turn it into a football-related theme park, a holiday camp for the spoilt brats of the well-heeled, there is no silver lining to this dark cloud. We are repeatedly told there is no more money available so the new manager will have to sell before he can buy…but do you see anyone rushing to buy any of our current squad?
Yet there is a way out for Murray and Bain. Their next decision will be the most important EVER taken in the history of our club and, while I’m far from confident that they have the football know-how to get it right, I suspect self-preservation (and the knowledge that they could be held personally responsible for the death of The Rangers FC) will hone the brain at this time. Whatever financial clout he has, Murray must use it now to right the wrongs, HIS wrongs, of the past decade.
Mr Chairman is fond of bragging about his great relationship with so many big names, one of whom is BRIAN LAUDRUP. He should be on the phone to Brian and his brother Michael, ask them to put together a five-year plan for Rangers, Murray must find the money to make it happen, then he and Bain should step back and let them get on with it. If everything is transparent, with no hidden agendas, the fans will back it, they will be patient, accepting a steady return to the top, rather than any quick fix (a la McLeish) which will lack substance.
Of course, the Laudrups have no management pedigree and, Yes, it would be a major gamble. But in Rangers’ current plight it is a calculated gamble, one we must take if we are to have any long-term future at the top end of the scale. For starters, the name Laudrup will convince the world we are serious about playing with the big boys again and would attract a better quality of player to Ibrox. They might even get a wee bit more out of the present lot. I’d certainly expect to see the cream of Denmark’s young prospects crossing the North Sea, opening up a very fruitful seam of talent for our club.
The absence of an obvious successor has troubled all Bears over the past few weeks but, having given it considerable thought, I’m convinced the Laudrup brothers are the only choice…on the dubious assumption that Murray is serious about Rangers. There are others who might turn things around short-term, give the current squad a kick where its needed and lift us out of our present troubles, but without a dramatic change in strategy from the head of the house we will be back here again another two or three years down the road.
When things were grim last November, the CALDERWOOD-NICHOLL partnership was tipped to take over at Ibrox. They were doing fine back then but, having only this week seen further evidence of Dolly & The Underachievers cheating management and fans by raising their game, then just going through the motions a few days later, I fear the Two Jimmies are already damaged goods and may even be on borrowed time at Sheepieville. Look out for Big Eck making a return to his old haunt pretty soon.
IAN DOWIE has been mentioned in certain quarters and, said to be a Rangers man, he too was whispered to be Ibrox-bound a year ago. But Crystal Palace were in the Premiership then, they had genuine hopes of staying up, only losing out on the last day, and although he is now locked in the battle to get Palace back amongst the promotion contenders, I’m not sure he would see managing Rangers would be a better career option.
Neil Warnock’s Sheffield United lead the way in the fight for the automatic promotion places so his partnership with Stuart McCall is working well and this has prompted some to call for the WARNOCK-McCALL double-act to be installed at Ibrox. But Warnock’s teams are renowned for playing the anti-football which made O’Kneel infamous and I don’t want to see us go down that road. We tried it on Wednesday night and look where it got us! Besides, with the possibility of taking Sheffield United to the Premiership, could the Rangers job tempt him away?
Nor do I think ALAN CURBISHLEY would be prepared to uproot himself and leave Charlton for Rangers. He has done well with very limited resources at The Valley but he too prefers a style of play which, although it can grind out enough points to keep his team in the Premiership, would not go down well at Ibrox.
Of course, Murray’s preferred option would be for GRAEME SOUNESS to return. Sitting at Stansted on the way to Bratislava, watching Newcastle struggle for 45 minutes at West Brom, I felt it might happen sooner rather than later. But having seen Souness defecate on us once before, I was cheering when Owen and Shearer went to town in the second half. He might be Mr Chairman’s number one choice but those of us with memories of Souness lecturing us on loyalty to the club one week, then high-tailing it to Liverpool the next, have no wish to see him return.
Other names in the frame have covered the broadest of spectrums, inducing sighs, groans and giggles. From BILLY DAVIES to ROWAN ALEXANDER, GEORGE GRAHAM to DAVIE MOYES, ALEX MILLER to GEORGE BURLEY, TERRY VENABLES to TERRY BUTCHER. To each I’d say, ‘Thanks for your interest but No Thanks’.
Two top tips have caught my eye and, in different circumstances, I’d welcome them with open arms. Having twice won the Champions League, OTTMAR HITZFELD’s credentials are beyond reproach and, as I understand it, he has already had preliminary discussions with someone acting for Rangers. But approaching his 57th birthday and given our current poverty of resources both on and off the field, does he really want to undertake a job of the magnitude of reviving our club? And would he be given a free hand to do so?
DIDIER DESCHAMPS comes into the same category although, being much younger, he would appear to have more to offer. Having guided Monaco to the Champions League Final 18 months ago, he has shown he can do it at the highest level and he too may already have been sounded out. But apart from communicating better with our French contingent, could he get much more out of our current squad? I don’t think so. He too would demand a radical overhaul of the set-up, with the cash to see it through, and it is doubtful if Murray would make such resources available to a relative stranger.
Neither Hitzfeld nor Deschamps has any inner loyalty to Rangers and, assuming they were to enjoy some success with us, would always be vulnerable to temptation from elsewhere. It would drag us back to square one if the main man was to be lured away before the full rebuilding job was completed. That threat would not be quite so real with the Laudrups in charge. If the relationship between the Minted One and Brian is so strong (it might all be more Murray guff!), Laudrup’s loyalty to Rangers could be enough to see this particular project through to its conclusion.
Their extensive contacts throughout Europe - between them they have played in Denmark, Scotland, England, Germany, Italy, Spain and Holland - could be used for Rangers' benefit. In addition to personal experience, they can tap into a rich vein of knowledge from countless coaches and ex-colleagues and our club would suddenly be important again, instead of being the laughing stock of Scottish football and the wider game.
Make no mistake about it, that is where we are now. Murray and Bain must see it is unacceptable and take steps to change things. If they get it right, we can halt the slide and rebuild for the future...but get it wrong and Rangers could spiral into a decline from which it could be well-nigh impossible to recover. Yes, the stakes are this high.
Our Custodian and his lackey have to be bold. Penny-pinching measures have served only to paper over the cracks. Property development would appear to be Murray's current priority but, no matter what it does for his personal fortune, does any business venture offer more prestige than leading the famous Glasgow Rangers back to the top? Put property development on to the back-burner for now, plough the resources into the 'new' Rangers and the rewards will follow.
So there you have it, the Little Boy Blue master plan. Pie in the sky? Mebbes aye, mebbes naw. It ain't the same 'chasing the dream' which landed us in the smelly stuff. Knowing where we went wrong, we can guard against making the same mistakes. In my humble opinion, it has to be better than the current mess and a future which only promises more of the same.
Think about it, Mr Chairman…then do it. Please!!!
LITTLE BOY BLUE