David Weir will surely retire this summer, right? Well, maybe.
Rangers though, will be making some serious changes, with the new owner giving Ally McCoist, who is taking over from Walter Smith, £10 million to spend on new players. But the club will need to bring in new blood to balance the increasingly financially unstable books at Ibrox.
On the pitch, it has been a great season again, with Rangers clawing back Celtic’s lead in the final weeks to take the Scottish Premier League title. In the words of Madjid Bougherra, Rangers are older and slower than rivals Celtic but are still champions.
But so the same could have been said of Chelsea last season; older and slower than Manchester United or Arsenal, but champions in style. But Rangers, like Chelsea south of the border, must renew if they are to continue their domination of Scottish football.
Smith says as much on his departure: “The new owner is aware that the team needs quite a large level of investment.
“He’s also aware that if they don’t get that, they will not continue the success they’ve had. The team needs a boost. He would be blind if he didn’t realise that. You cannot continue to ask the same group of players to repeat the success they’ve had season after season without more help.”
The club will look to the likes of Nikica Jelavic, Steven Davis and Alan McGregor will be the driving forces behind Rangers’ future as the likes of Weir depart this summer. Jelavic sums up how Rangers must renew to stay at the top. Kenny Miller and Kris Boyd left the club earlier in the season as Rangers looked to balance the books, and in came Jelavic to provide the goals to make up for their departures.
McGregor is being chased by Tottenham, and Bougherra by QPR as clubs swirl around the star Rangers men. Keeping hold of their best players, balancing the books and then bringing in the players to provide success in years to come will be a serious and challenging prospect for new owner Craig Whyte.
Their prospects, despite the title win, may have to be tempered in the short term, unless they can discover a reserve of talented youngsters like Gregg Wylde, who has impressed this term. The club have the quality to remain competitive in the short term, but it is the long term that they may struggle in. A convincing plan is key if the club are to compete at the sharp end of European football in the years to come. This squad is limited and nearing its expiry date, and their success owes much to the brilliant management and cautios tactical approach of Smith.
The club may have to get used to a diet of austerity, but for now, the taste of champagne still lingers.
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