David Weir Is A Rangers Captain

[chilledbear 16]

He is all I like to see in a Rangers Captain.

 

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/david-weir-unperturbed-by-celtic-s-financial-advantage-over-rangers-1.1043873

 

 

 

David Weir, the Rangers captain, is unfazed by the club�s financial strictures that threaten to hand Old Firm rivals Celtic an advantage in the race to secure the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title this season.

 

Facing the reality that they just donâ��t have the money to spend in the transfer market, the defending champions appear to have an uphill battle to make it three titles in a row, especially in the wake of Celticâ��s �£10m transfer outlay.

 

Celtic, under new manager Neil Lennon, have embarked on a spending spree aimed at winning back the SPL crown. Lennon, who predicted ââ?¬Å?bedlamââ?¬Â in his transfer dealings when Celtic returned from their pre-season tour of North America, has already signed Charlie Mulgrew, Cha Du-Ri, Joe Ledley, Daryl Murphy and Efrain Juarez, while Gary Hooper was in Glasgow yesterday for signing talks.

 

In contrast, Rangers have not made a major signing for almost two years and manager Walter Smith has admitted that the club might be lucky to sign even a couple of players by the closure of the transfer window at the end of August.

 

ââ?¬Ë?ââ?¬â?¢We have only got a small group of players because of the financial position of the club; we have had to sell a few,ââ?¬Â Smith said. ââ?¬Å?Hopefully, between now and the end of the close season, we will add a couple of players to that squad. But, so far, we have had no luck in that department.ââ?¬Â

 

We have players who have gone the distance, who have won championships. They know what it means to play for Rangers David Weir, Rangers captain

Even though Rangers are thousands of miles away in Sydney, Weir exuded confidence and a typical veteran�s calm. He remains upbeat and says the club can more than match Celtic because of the vast experience in the ranks.

 

ââ?¬Å?We have to make do as best we can with what we have at the moment,ââ?¬Â Weir said yesterday. ââ?¬Å?You have to play with what you have got at the end of day. We have the experience at the club to cope with the situation. We have players who have gone the distance, who have won championships. They know what it means to play for Rangers.

 

ââ?¬Å?We will just keep doing what we are doing and not worry about anyone else. As long as we can improve, I will be happy.ââ?¬Â

 

Weir remains confident about Rangersââ?¬â?¢ prospects for the new season. ââ?¬Å?We all know the financial position at the club is tough, but we still have got a good base of players,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?Our aim is always to try and win the league and do much better in the Champions League.ââ?¬Â

 

Weir says he is far from jealous of Celtic�s spending spree. Firing a volley ahead of the new season, he suggested Celtic need to spend to catch up to where Rangers are.

 

ââ?¬Å?No, Iââ?¬â?¢m not jealous [of Celtic]; they have got to go out and buy players because we have won the league in each of the last two seasons and they have to catch up to us,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?It is going to be a great season and we are all looking forward to the chance of defending our title.ââ?¬Â

 

Weir said the four-team tournament in Sydney was the perfect preparation for the new season, despite suggestions that travelling such a long distance could seriously affect the club�s championship prospects. He believes it will be a benefit to fitness ahead of the new season�s kick-off, although he said it was also important to win the tournament because that is what is expected of Rangers.

 

After beating Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in the opening match on Sunday, Smith�s men play Sydney FC, the Australian champions, tomorrow. Weir anticipates a tough test even though Sydney lost 5-3 to AEK Athens in their opening match.

 

ââ?¬Å?We want to win all three games because, historically, that is what Rangers are all about,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?That will never change. That is the nature of the cub. I only saw a little of the Sydney v AEK Athens game on television. I donââ?¬â?¢t know much about them but I am sure we will watch a video and get enough information.

 

ââ?¬Å?I think youââ?¬â?¢ll see an even better performance from us against Sydney,ââ?¬Â he added. ââ?¬Å?We will have had more time to get over the travel and will be more used to the conditions. The weather is good here, certainly a lot better than our winter and that helps, as well.ââ?¬Â

 

Smith admitted he is unlikely to make any changes to the side that beat Blackburn.

 

Vitezslav Lavicka, Sydney FCââ?¬â?¢s Czech coach, was full of praise for Rangers. ââ?¬Å?They were very good against Blackburn,ââ?¬Â he said. ââ?¬Å?I was impressed, because they played some excellent football and they had not been in the country long.

 

ââ?¬Å?We cannot afford to make the sort of defensive mistakes we made against AEK. As you saw, European teams will punish you for that.

 

ââ?¬Å?Rangers have the players to make us pay for mistakes such as that, so we will have to play up to our best

[Frankie 8,151]

Yep, for all his flaws, Weir has been a fine servant for the club and his contribution shouldn't be under-estimated.

 

Will this be a season too far for him? Possibly but his presence certainly calms me for the most part.

[gavin3084 0]

Yep, for all his flaws, Weir has been a fine servant for the club and his contribution shouldn't be under-estimated.

 

Will this be a season too far for him? Possibly but his presence certainly calms me for the most part.

 

Agreed he has being a great signing considering he came in as a 6 month stop gap signing he has surpassed I think everyone expectations and whether this is a season to far remains to be seen, I don't think he will play as many games ie cup games, but if he does get a sufficient amount of rest I don't see why he can't be a mainstay fir us again in the spl. Champs league maybe be a step to far for him this season and I would maybe like to see boughy and Webster in there but there's no doubt we would miss his experience in those big games but he might not have the legs for the best in Europe!

[Gazza_8 233]

Yep, for all his flaws, Weir has been a fine servant for the club and his contribution shouldn't be under-estimated.

 

Will this be a season too far for him? Possibly but his presence certainly calms me for the most part.

 

For all his flaws? He's short of pace but he makes up for that with his incredible positioning skills amongst other attributes. He's played a couple of bad games but who hasn't?

 

Someone I wouldn't be scared to call a Rangers legend.

[Frankie 8,151]

For all his flaws? He's short of pace but he makes up for that with his incredible positioning skills amongst other attributes. He's played a couple of bad games but who hasn't?

 

Someone I wouldn't be scared to call a Rangers legend.

 

Hey, I'm a Weir fan.

 

His distribution isn't the greatest as well (though improved last season IMO) and overall he's given us 3 excellent seasons since he joined. The problem is that often we have to adjust the balance of the side to compensate for his lack of pace but I can live with that as long as we win trophies.

 

At some point though, we do have to ask when would be the best time to look beyond him. I'm hoping Webster and/or AN Other will do enough to make Weir's influence merely a squad captain's one.

[chilledbear 16]

Hey, I'm a Weir fan.

 

His distribution isn't the greatest as well (though improved last season IMO) and overall he's given us 3 excellent seasons since he joined. The problem is that often we have to adjust the balance of the side to compensate for his lack of pace but I can live with that as long as we win trophies.

 

At some point though, we do have to ask when would be the best time to look beyond him. I'm hoping Webster and/or AN Other will do enough to make Weir's influence merely a squad captain's one.

 

I think the defence plays too deep sometimes, to compensate for his lack of pace. But as a captain, he has that bit of class off the field, something the likes of BF didn't have [ no criticism of BF on the field]

[ascender 352]

Strangely, I think we were looking more vulnerable due to his lack of pace a couple of seasons back. Then we really did seem to play a lot deeper to compensate for him, but I didn't think it was as much of an issue last season.

 

I think this is the season where he'll step aside, although I'm sure it will be a gradual process. I really hope Webster comes in, stays fit and shows just how good a player he is because he's really impressed me every time I've seen him play. I guess then it comes down to whether Walter plays Weir alongside him with Bougherra at RB (if he's still here) or maybe makes Webster first pick and rotates someone in the other CB spot.

 

Given Weir's clear influence and his abilities, fitness, respect he commands etc, it would be a real shame for me if we didn't try to get him to stay on at the club in some sort of coaching capacity when he does hang up his boots.

[calscot 0]

Hey, I'm a Weir fan.

 

His distribution isn't the greatest as well (though improved last season IMO) and overall he's given us 3 excellent seasons since he joined. The problem is that often we have to adjust the balance of the side to compensate for his lack of pace but I can live with that as long as we win trophies.

 

I've never been impressed with his dribbling skills and his shooting is woeful... :fish: