IT is unlikely, but not altogether impossible, that Rangers will be able to challenge Celtic for the Ladbrokes Premiership title in the second half of the season despite the players they have brought in during the January transfer window.
Jason Cummings, Sean Goss, Declan John, Russell Martin and Jamie Murphy will certainly give Ibrox manager Graeme Murty much-needed options in defence, midfield and up front in the closing stages of the season and improve his side significantly.
Yet, the chances of them coming from 11 points behind and preventing their Glasgow rivals from winning their seventh consecutive Scottish title remain slim.
The Parkhead club, as a result of years of prudent stewardship by their directors and major shareholders as well as successive qualifications for the Champions League group stages, continue to operate at a higher level, both financially and on the field of play, than their traditional adversaries.
This season Brendan Rodgers has signed, to name just two, Olivier Ntcham from Manchester City for a £4.5 million transfer fee and brought in Patrick Roberts, who City paid £12 million for two and a half years ago, on loan.
His side should still retain the Premiership comfortably and another club will have to do very well to defeat the Betfred Cup winners in the William Hill Scottish Cup and prevent them from completing an unprecedented second consecutive domestic treble.
Nevertheless, the past fortnight has been encouraging for beleagured Rangers supporters. And with good reason. There has been an outbreak of common sense at Ibrox at long last. The future is suddenly looking far brighter as a result of their shrewd new recruitment policy.
Talented young British footballers (Goss, John and Cummings) have been brought in along with proven performers at the highest level in both Scotland and England (Murphy and Martin) so far this month.
Promising British players who can be developed and sold on for a profit, Greg Docherty of Hamilton and Jordan Jones of Kilmarnock, have also been targeted. Initial offers may have been turned down by both of those top flight clubs after falling way short of their valuations. But the very fact those individuals have been pinpointed is positive.
No exotic-sounding but hitherto unheard of foreign players have been acquired for extravagant sums from little-known clubs in far-flung locations – as was the case in the summer when Pedro Caixinha sanctioned the catastrophic signings of, to name just three, Dalcio, Eduardo Herrera and Carlos Pena for an outlay in the region of £8 million.
Caixinha’s predecessor Mark Warburton fared far better in the transfer market. Jason Holt, Wes Foderingham, James Tavernier, Danny Wilson and Josh Windass, who all started in the 0-0 draw with Celtic at Parkhead in the final game before the transfer window last month, were brought in for nominal sums on his watch.
Still, the Englishman also had his fair share of misses as well. Joey Barton, Joe Garner and Philippe Senderos were all bitter and costly disappointments while Joe Dodoo, Niko Kranjcar, Michael O’Halloran and Jordan Rossiter have much still to do to prove themselves.
Ally McCoist, whose three year tenure as Rangers manager was blighted by constant boardroom upheaval and widespread unrest in the stands, also suffered due to the lack of a proper scouting network.
The appointment of Mark Allen as director of football back in June was something which should have been done an awfully long time ago and which will have huge ramifications for the future of an outfit which is still trying to rebuild after years of trauma and turmoil.
Allen, a former Manchester City academy director, has created a new scouting network and brought in the widely respected Andy Scoulding, who has previously worked at Fulham, Liverpool and Valencia, club great John Brown, Dave Swanick, formerly of Aston Villa, and Billy McLaren.
That quintet’s arrival at Auchenhowie this season could be every bit as important as any goalkeeper, centre half, holding midfielder, winger or striker.
Murty, who is determined to do well enough between now and the end of the 2017/18 campaign to earn a long-term contract, also has extensive contacts in the game from his time with Reading, Southampton and Norwich and has clearly putting them to good use
The arrival of Cummings, Goss, John, Martin and Murphy will bolster Rangers’ bid to finish second ahead of Aberdeen in the Premiership in the coming months.
Beyond that, the considered approach which the Ibrox club are finally taking to their transfer activity should bring greater success and stability after years of mistakes and underachievement.
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