Tie Tonge Down..

[Gers4Life 0]

When Rangers head off on their long-haul flight to Australia tonight, there will be plenty of time for Walter Smith to occupy himself with blue-sky thinking.

 

Sleep is unlikely to come easily to the Rangers manager as he continues to mull over the financial nightmare that plagues his dream of landing the kind of player that will

 

bolster a threadbare squad ââ?¬â?? and generate a ripple of excitement among the fans.

 

Economy class will be the ticket with no chance of a Very Important Player upgrade.

 

Michael Tonge�s name may not be on the passenger list when the plane taxis down the runway at Glasgow Airport.

 

But by the time Rangers return from their tour Down Under on August 2, the Stoke City midfielder could well have landed at Ibrox on a season-long Ibrox loan agreement.

 

The Englishman is one player definitely on Smith�s in-flight radar and a former Ibrox apprentice reckons the former England Under-21 star would be a shrewd acquisition.

 

Barry Nicholson played alongside Tonge during a loan spell at Preston North End and reckons he has all the hallmarks to make an impact down Govan way.

 

Tonge may carry a bargain tag, but Nicholson is convinced the fans will warm to player who carries a bit of quality.

 

The former, Rangers, Aberdeen and Dunfermline player said: ââ?¬Å?I think Michael would do really well at Ibrox.

 

ââ?¬Å?When he was younger he was very highly rated and he was one of those players who was talked about a lot when he was still a kid.

 

ââ?¬Å?It has maybe not quite gone according to plan for him over the last few years, but he is a really good player.

 

ââ?¬Å?He is very comfortable on the ball, he has good technique, he is a good passer of the ball and he is also able to create things.

 

ââ?¬Å?When he was at Preston he made a good impression and I think heââ?¬â?¢d be ready for the step up to Rangers.

 

ââ?¬Å?He is not really an out-and-out winger. I think if he went to Ibrox he would play the way that Steven Davis last season and always look to cut inside.

 

ââ?¬Å?He is very clever at doing that and seeing the forward pass that can then open something up.ââ?¬Â

 

The days of multi-million pound household names arriving in Glasgow are over, at least for the time being.

 

Right now, the climate is one of prudence and purse-tightening, a fact reflected in the sheer number of players in the last 12 months who have swapped the SPL for the Coca-Cola Championship.

 

Nicholson understands the reasons for this, but he remains a staunch defender of the Old Firm ââ?¬â?? and what they can bring to the table of any player with a hunger to parade his skills in a unique setting.

 

He said: ââ?¬Å?Everyone I have spoken to recently seems to go on about the decline in standards in Scotland.

 

ââ?¬Å?That may be the case, but you have to hope that there are some young players coming through who can help to change that. The Championship and the SPL are probably on a par in terms of the level the games are played at.

 

ââ?¬Å?But the Championship is a lot tighter because there are more teams who are of a similar standard and with the same kind of finances available to them.

 

ââ?¬Å?I still think that a player moving from Stoke, say, as Michael would be, and going to Rangers is a big step up.

 

ââ?¬Å?Aside from anything else, Rangers will be playing Champions League football this coming season and that is a huge draw for most players.

 

ââ?¬Å?Everyone wants the chance to play at that kind of level and even just in terms of size and stature, both Rangers and Celtic are huge clubs. They still have big reputations and while they canââ?¬â?¢t spend the way they did, they still give players the chance to play in front of 50,000 supporters week in, week out.

 

ââ?¬Å?There are not too many clubs in Britain who can make that boast. At the same time, I can understand why so many players have moved out of Scotland to come down here.

 

ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢d have to say from my own point of view that I am enjoying my football down here. I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t be in any rush to move back, although I still keep an eye out for the SPL scores.

 

ââ?¬Å?It would be nice to see the profile of the league rise a little and if there were some decent European results this season it would go a long way to helping achieve that.ââ?¬Â

 

A flight of fancy that Walter Smith would definitely share.

[Guest Guivarc'h]

Tonge is a central midfielder who will no doubt play on the left wing if we sign him.

[Whosthedado 1,487]

Tonge is a central midfielder who will no doubt play on the left wing if we sign him.

 

Can he not play in the left too though? We need a hell of a lot more than Michael Tonge though