Walter Aims To Leave On High

The last few months haven’t been the most enjoyable for the Rangers fans who have been left frustrated and disappointed at the lack of transfer activity at Ibrox. The club will be entering its third year without signing a player, an embarrassing fact in itself, but it is absolutely nowhere near close to the troubles Rangers face off the pitch. The continous mis-management by major shareholder David Murray has left Rangers in over £20m worth of debt and potentially facing a hefty bill from HMRC. It is quite frightening to think that just a decade ago, players of real quality like Gio, Albertz, Mols and De Boer were gracing the Ibrox turf week-in, week-out. The demise of the famous Rangers has gone too far, even the selling of merchandising to JJB and run-down surroundings at Ibrox are just as frustrating as not being able to sign a player.

On a positive note, Rangers head into the SPL season with by far the strongest starting eleven in the SPL which will include Madjid Bougherra, Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Kenny Miller, amidst real worry that none of these players would remain at Ibrox for this season. Kevin Thomson and Kris Boyd left for Middlesbrough and fans favourite Nacho Novo left for Sporting Gijon back in his homeland. Teenage star Danny Wilson joined Liverpool for £2m in July and left-back Steven Smith left for Norwich. The US winger DaMarcus Beasley, who had spells with Man City and PSV, ended his time in Glasgow after the club decided not to renew his contract.

Captain David Weir

It leaves Rangers a bit light in terms of squad depth but the old saying ‘quality of quantity’ is one which sums up the SPL Champions compared with their Glasgow rivals who have spent big in the transfer market with a host of new players arriving across the city. Allan McGregor and Neil Alexander give Rangers superb cover between the sticks but McGregor currently has his hands on the number one jersey. In defence, Steven Whittaker will be the first choice right-back and he netted 11 goals last season for the Gers. Madjid Bougherra will likely partner 40-year-old captain Davie Weir in central defence with Sasa Papac at left-back, although, the Bosnian is currently sidelined which could give Kirk Broadfoot a chance to nail down a starting place. Andy Webster returns from Dundee Utd on loan and provides strong competition in central defence.

Edu and Davis are key in central midfield

The midfield partnership of Steven Davis and Maurice Edu has flourished over pre-season in a 4-3-3 formation which has saw Lee McCulloch play in the holding-midfield role. Whether Smith opts for 4-3-3 or a preferred 4-4-2 formation is anyone’s guess but he will have some excellent options in the centre of the park. Davis was absolutely terrific last season and deservedly won Player of the Year for his classy displays in midfield, but we may see more from Davis if he is played in his natural midfield role. The Dynamic US midfielder Edu is my “one to watch” this season as his well-timed runs into the box could see him notch a fair few goals this season.

A big year for Fleck?

The wide areas is a major problem for Rangers. Walter has tried a number of players out there, including Steven Naismith and Kyle Lafferty who have played there during pre-season. If Walter goes 4-4-2, I would suspect that Davis might play right-midfield like he did last season. In a previous article, I asked whether youngster Gregg Wylde was the missing piece of the jigsaw and I firmly believe the pacey left-midfielder could be an excellent addition to the starting eleven. Also, teenage midfielder John Fleck is an outstanding prospect who we hopefully will see more this season but his actual role in the team is still to be decided. I’d like to see the ‘No.10’ play on the right with a freedom to roam into the centre of the pitch.

Kenny Miller for Gers

In attack, Kenny Miller is the key man and he will be looking to build on his excellent performances last season. His partner could be Kyle Lafferty or Steven Naismith, or even Andrius Velicka who is battling to return to fitness, but Walter has handed a trial to Honduras striker Georgie Welcome so we will see what comes from that. Croatian striker Nikicia Jelavic has been linked to Glasgow and could provide a good partner for Miller but the £3m price tag is a stumbling block.

In his final season as manager, Walter will head with his hands tied into the lions den of the Champions League. Last season, Rangers were brushed aside by Sevilla, Stuttgart and Unirea Urziceni. To be fair, our performances away from home are excellent and this season points away from home could be our best chance of any success in the competition although the Gers will need to become more positive at home after last season’s dire displays.

Here’s to Sir Walter and title number 54.