HATS OFF this morning to the Herald's Michael Grant, for doing nothing more than stating the obvious - Rangers' current management strategy appears unsustainable.
People and organisations which do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeating them, with the same end result. Ergo, if Rangers do not get their spending under control - they're doomed.
Repeated losses led to David Murray wanting out, letting Craig Whyte in and leading to the turmoil of the last 18-months or so. You would think, after all this, the men at the top at Ibrox would be making damned sure, the re-born club lived within their means, but, apparently not. Plus ca change.
Of course, it took some courage for young Michael to make his very correct point this morning. Well done (again) to him. The paper might have voluntarily down-graded itself from a national to a more-local newspaper, but, it remains a very-influential organ within West-Central Scotland and Grant's piece would have gone down well in some important places for Rangers. It could also have a knock-on effect, with perhaps some local business people, who are well-disposed to the club, without being "Rangers Men", deciding not to get too-closely involved.
Once the summer acquisitions are free to play, Rangers ought to win the third tier of Scottish football at a canter. If they don't, then the pressure on Ally McCoist will be intolerable.
Let's be honest, Ibrox Icon he might be, but, as a manager, McCoist has, thus far, been about average. Had he not been such a Rangers Legend, I warrant, he'd have gone lang syne. This new season, McCoist HAS to start delivering more than divisional championships; he has to start producing teams which win - with style.
He is, we understand, still looking for a centre-half. I remember, more than 50-years ago, when, with Willie Woodburn suspended sine die, George Young retired and the two heirs apparent - Duncan Stanners and Willie Moles, for various reasons, not stepping-up to the mark, Scot Symon went out and bought a veteran defender to hold the fort.
That man was St Mirren legend Willie Telfer, who happened to be a true blue bear from Larkhall. Telfer steadied the ship, was subsequently replaced by the hugely-under-rated Bill Paterson and Doug Baillie, but, hung around long enough in the reserves to nurture Ronnie McKinnon.
I cannot think of a Telfer-like figure today in Scotland, other perhaps than Lee McCulloch, who could do the fort-holding job while bringing through a talented youngster. Perhaps, rather than lamenting his need for a commanding centre-half, McCoist should tell McCulloch: "You're playing centre-half this season and you will do your best to bring Messrs Cole and Perry up to scratch - or else".
It just might work.
I AM not a particular fan of the Celtic management model either. OK, it works, they are head and shoulders above every other Scottish club for now and presumably for the short-to-medium-term future.
Identifying, recruiting and nurturing young talent, which can then be sold-on to English Premiership clubs or abroad, is a good model - I'd just rather see Celtic putting the same intensity into nurturing their home-grown talent, which they could then sell-on or keep.
I refuse to believe that a Lisbon Lions for the 21st century cannot be recruited and raised from the same West-Central Scotland area which produced the original Lions.
Jock Stein didn't do anything which wasn't also being done by other Scottish managers of the time - he simply did what he did better than the rest.
It must be galling to be a Celtic-daft young wannabe, getting to play for Celtic through the ranks to Under-20 level, then hitting the glass ceiling and having to move to a lesser club. I hope, this season, more will come through to join James Forrest and young Tony Watt in Neil Lennon's first-team squad.
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