Walter Smith last night refuted claims from Joe Kinnear that Rangers have been contacted directly over Newcastle United�s plan to sign Barry Ferguson.
Walter Smith last night refuted claims from Joe Kinnear that Rangers have been contacted directly over Newcastle United's plan to sign Barry Ferguson.
The Rangers manager has been irked by comments from Kinnear, who said on Saturday that he had been in touch with the club to discuss the possible transfer of their captain.
While Smith reiterated his helplessness to prevent offers for first-team regulars, with Newcastle also expected to bid for Madjid Bougherra, he was adamant there has been no approach from the Newcastle board to himself, Martin Bain or Sir David Murray.
"It's strange, I must say, that it happened," said Smith. "If the comments are accurate, then he has said he has been in contact with Rangers. As far as the chairman, the chief executive and myself are concerned, there has been no contact from Newcastle or any other club. That part of it is a little bit disappointing - that he would say that when it has not been the case.
"I can appreciate a manager being interested in a player, but he can't say he has been in touch with someone at Rangers when he has not been. That's the strangest thing. Whether or not that is being done to pacify a level of support, I don't know. I can't think why he would say it when he hasn't been in contact. That's the disappointing thing."
The Herald revealed last week that Newcastle's interest in a £4.5m bid for Bougherra had been confirmed to Bain via a third party. With a five-point deficit to make up over the league leaders, Celtic, Smith would be loth to lose two of his pivotal performers. None the less, as he attempts to offload the squad surplus, Smith acknowledged the hard economic realities for Rangers mean that any offers for first-team regulars have to be seriously considered.
"I've said before, and I will make it quite clear, the players we are talking about leaving the club are the ones who are unhappy at not playing," he said. "That's what we have to adjust more than anything else.
"A lot of these players want to move because they are not getting opportunities. The players on the outside of the group are the ones we are looking at perhaps moving on. Jean-Claude Darcheville was the first of them and there are a number of others who are unhappy at not playing.
"As far as all the others are concerned, I can have no influence on who wants to bid for anyone at Rangers. We were in a situation like that with Alan Hutton last year and every club is in a situation like that - not just Rangers.
" What football manager can say these days that if someone comes along and makes a bid for one of his players then you don't have to consider it? You have to. That's what we did with Alan Hutton last season. If anyone comes in and asks us then we will give them an answer. But so far the only offer we have is for Alan Gow from Wolves. That is true - not speculation."
Kris Boyd took his tally to 20 goals for the season with a double and expressed his hope that Ferguson does not leave Rangers for a second time. "We know that in this market everyone has their price and whatever happens, happens," he said, "but I'm sure Barry wants to stay here and play his football here.
"He's left the club before and didn't enjoy his time down south. He's enjoying it now, he's back to the player he once was. We don't want to lose him and I'm sure the manager won't want to lose him, either."
Boyd also acknowledged the importance of Allan McGregor to yesterday's win. He made three vital saves before Rangers took the lead through Pedro Mendes.
"Allan was probably our best player," he said. "We didn't have many chances in the first-half - Inverness had the best of it - but Pedro's strike opened the game up and we could get into them a bit."
Craig Brewster bemoaned the paltry reward for his team's first-half efforts but refused to bow to the increasing pressure despite a six-game losing streak. "There is pressure on managers at the top of the league, the middle of the league and at the bottom: I am no different to any other manager," he said.
