2 ramblings about Rangers football club.
Rangers Rambling 1:
Rangers have a choice this January transfer window. Bigger than selling Hutton, bigger than selling Cuellar and bigger than buying Velicka. (Edit that last one, i’ve spent longer deliberating over which biscuit to have than Smith did in buying Velicka)
Rangers have to raise funds, the question is, how they should raise those funds? It is generally accepted that Rangers have to let go of their army of fringe players. But it is now becoming clear that they may have to also let go of a couple of “stars”. The “stars” generally accepted to be potentially available to raise some Alan Hutton style cash are Mendes, Bougherra, Ferguson and Boyd. Each of these would bring in over 3 million pounds, a significant amount for modern day Rangers. But which ones should they sell?
I believe it should be a choice between Mendes and Bougherra or Ferguson and Boyd. Either Rangers can continue staying in this holding pattern of moderate SPL success or we can look to the future and think of a team that wants to make a stab at Europe. If, hypothetically, the interest in these players is legitimate, then it will be interesting which direction Smith goes in.
Edu and Lafferty were bought for a fee, which was reportedly over 5 million between them. What were they bought for if Rangers are not prepared to sell Ferguson and Boyd now? If Edu came in and played like Ferguson plays (refusing to pass the ball forward, unfit, unable to complete a pass) he would be labeled a massive waste of money and a donkey. If Kris Boyd were played on the wing , despite not being a winger, he would be labeled a complete ineffective waste of space. So why are we persisting with Barry Ferguson instead of giving Edu a run out? We still have Hemdani there to share the role until he’s ready. And why is Kyle Lafferty, who was bought as a striker, playing on the wing?
Rangers could cope with having only 9 players that ran about. Maybe Boyd didn’t run but Miller did (which makes the sum of their parts, one competent footballer) and Rangers could cope with that. But once Ferguson came back the midfield, which was already suffering from the lack of Kevin Thomson, had a passenger as well. We can’t afford two passengers; especially because when Broadfoot or Miller drives they routinely crash the car.
Allegedly, Rangers are able to get Lovenkrands for free at cut-price wages. This is a chance for Rangers to right one of their many wrongs. Lovenkrands was always played on the wing just like Lafferty is now, despite neither being a winger. Let’s see how they do when they are both given an extended stay through the middle. Lovenkrands playing off the last defender with Mendes chipping balls through for him, or Lafferty holding the ball up is a more attractive prospect than Boyd spending big matches in an offside position or Miller running about like a child with ADD doing a bleep test.
Rangers have an army of players who have not been given a fair crack of the whip as well as a youth system, which has barely had even a moderate success story. This is a time to let go of the two players who have had too much of a chance, and hand the reigns to some players who might change things a little.
The Le Guen project failed, as he wanted a year to rebuild, Rangers are crying out for a year of rebuilding, rather than a year of papering over cracks. Rangers must let go of the two players who will not take them to the next level. Maybe Rangers will miss Boyd’s goals, maybe they’ll miss Barry Ferguson trying to pass backwards, getting his pass intercepted, looking dejected , then breaking his hip. But with great sacrifice, comes great rewards.
Rangers Rambling 2:
“I’m Barry Ferguson. I’m Mr. Rangers. I’m a hero for the club I grew up supporting. I have more of a legacy than my brother who I grew up idolising. No player quite defines a club quite like I define Rangers. Players have come and gone, you can stick you’re Giovanni Van Bronckhurst and your Mikel Arteta. They are flash in the pans, not like me. I’m even bigger than any manager Rangers will ever have. Not many people can say that. I’m Mr. Rangers.”
Or does he think…. Keep reading →
