DAVID WEIR, the Rangers assistant manager, believes that even spending £100m would not guarantee the Ibrox side closing the gap to Celtic.

Former managers Walter Smith and Stuart McCall have both called for substantial investment in the playing squad to make Rangers more competitive but Weir feels that any progress after four years in the lower years has to be taken slowly.

“Obviously we don’t like it but there is a gap because they [Celtic] have invested and they’ve been playing at a great level,” he said. “They’ve got a team full of international players that they’re constantly improving. Rangers have been in the backwaters for the last four or five years and haven’t really invested in the squad.

“So how do you bridge that gap? Well, unless you’re spending £100 million or whatever the figure may be [it will be difficult] and even that doesn’t guarantee it.

Read more: David Weir: Even spending £100m might not be enough for Rangers to close the gap to Celtic

“You’ve got to do it slowly. You’ve got to do it through a process and by constantly improving players, the environment, the challenges you give the players, and the youth department.

"You’ve got to constantly try to build up the whole structure of the club and the whole infrastructure of the club. It’s a big challenge. Nineteen points is too big a gap but it represents where we are.

“I would never question Walter Smith or Stuart McCall or anyone who has been manager of this club because they’ve walked in our shoes but we’ve got to deal with the situation we’ve got.

“I understand their reasons for saying money needs to be spent and it would be great if that was the case but we’ve got to work within the parameters and what we’ve been employed for.”

Read more: David Weir: Even spending £100m might not be enough for Rangers to close the gap to Celtic

Weir also admitted that not all of Rangers’ signings have turned out as hoped. “We’ve got to try and recruit the right players, make them better and fit them within your system,” he added. “Football isn’t a science. We’ve changed 25 players in 18 months. It’s too many. It’s really difficult to get one transfer right but to get 25 right in such a short space of time is impossible with all the variables that go into it to actually make it work.”