Rangers Football Club 0 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 McCOIST praises Craig Whyte for strengthening squad and fending off Jela and Davo bids More... 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian1964 10,416 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 RANGERS boss Ally McCoist is thrilled that key stars Nikica Jelavic and Steve Davis are remaining with Rangers and believes he has the squad to chase four in a row. Craig Whyte and the Rangers board had their resolve tested when big interest in the Croatian striker and the talismanic midfielder was expressed but they held firm. Nikica JelavicThe Light Blues rejected a bid from Leicester City for the striker on Tuesday and also rebuffed expressions of interest from agents and clubs for the Jelavic less than an hour before the transfer window closed last night. There was also interest from Aston Villa in Davis but again the club told the English Premiership side he was not for sale. McCoist, who has signed seven new players in the summer, says the squad is ready to challenge for honours and everyone can now focus on football following the closure of the window. He told rangers.co.uk: "I am delighted that Nikica and Steven are both staying. There was no pressure to sell either player but the Club received a serious offer for Nikica from Leicester. "The fact it was rejected sends out a clear message to all Rangers fans and I have no doubt the players we have are more than capable of defending the SPL title. "It has been a long transfer window with lots of speculation but we have added seven new players while the core of our double-winning side last season have been re-signed so I am more than happy with the squad we have. "Hopefully all the boys can return from international duty unscathed and the break will also give our injured players the chance to recover before our game against Dundee United next weekend." Rangers owner Craig Whyte has spent in excess of �£5 million on transfers and improved contracts for key players this summer with Lee Wallace, Dorin Goian, Carlos Bocanegra, Alejandro Bedoya, Kyle Bartley, Juan Manuel Ortiz and Matt McKay all boosting last season's title-winning squad. Allan McGregor, Steven Davis, Steven Whittaker and Gregg Wylde have also signed long-term contracts with the Champions. The Chairman commented: "We had a serious offer for Nikica Jelavic but it fell well short of the player's true valuation. Ally McCoist is building a good squad capable of competing for the domestic Treble and Jelavic and Steven Davis are key players for the team. "Ally has signed seven new players and re-signed seven more this summer which has been a significant investment in the squad. While all Rangers fans want to see as many star signings as possible there has to be realism as well. "Unfortunately we have not qualified for the Champions League or Europa League group stages and the Cub has to be run in the correct manner. "Ally and I discuss these matters constantly and he has told me he is happy with the squad he has at his disposal. We now look forward to the rest of the campaign and doing all we can to continue our success. "As always at Rangers, we are committed to working together to ensure a successful domestic campaign this season." 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovanAllan 0 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Could have been better but with no euro money belts have to be tightened. Think squad is better than last season once they are all fit. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny 0 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I think the squad is BIGGER, but no better. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 "Rangers owner Craig Whyte has spent in excess of �£5 million on transfers and improved contracts for key players this summer with Lee Wallace, Dorin Goian, Carlos Bocanegra, Alejandro Bedoya, Kyle Bartley, Juan Manuel Ortiz and Matt McKay all boosting last season's title-winning squad. AND "Ally has signed seven new players and re-signed seven more this summer which has been a significant investment in the squad" They were obviously at pains to ensure that they stated that the 5 mill minimum was mentioned. Also looks like they are considering "investment" to be simply whatever goes OUT the door in terms of cash (which I think is incorrect and a pure manipulation and play on words). 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 (edited) I think the squad is BIGGER, but no better. Had Fleck & Hutton gone out on loan (who knows if this one still happens or not...) then the squad would only have been bigger by just ....... ZERO (from an already thin squad). Incoming : Goian Wallace Ortiz Bartley Bedoya McKay Bocanegra Total of 7 coming in. Outgoing : Weiss Diouf Hutton Fleck Beattie Bougherra Little Total of 7 outgoing Edited September 1, 2011 by craig 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyk 158 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Our squad certainly looks better looking at the list Craig has posted there. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,151 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I'm a bit disappointed by our transfer activity but also realistic in terms of what is possible. Generally I'm comfortable enough in the squad we have but am frustrated at how slow our dealings were. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig 5,199 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Very few clubs were "quick" in their transfer dealings in the window though. Look how long the Fabregas & Nasri transfers took. You cant always make swift signings - we mustnt forget that transfer dealings take two sides to come to agreement - there will undoubtedly be haggling. Unless you are Man City where you throw money at players and clubs (and even their Nasri transfer was protracted) then clubs will be more prepared to haggle. Unlessy ou are one of the rich EPL, La Liga, Serie clubs, then I suspect that signings being slower to conclude would be more the norm. It could also be that the reason our signing policy looks like it is slow is down to the change in the manner we conduct our business. It seems that every possible signing was in the public domain very, very quickly whereas under WS it seemed as if the 1st we heard was when a deal had been struck or very nearly concluded - the latter doesnt mean that it wasnt a slow process, just means that it didnt hit the public doman until late in the process. I would be more disappointed in the manner in which we conduct the business rather than the speed of the process. That said, it is only one window and I am sure that the new regime would have wanted us to be more than aware that they were chasing new players. Also possible is that they have been excited at bringing new players in so cant keep their mouths shut. Also plausible is that they have moles that they need to weed out. Hopefully they will learn from the process going forward though. I think that this window was one to show they were trying to make new signings. Hopefully subsequent windows they will keep very quiet until signings are made - fans are just as happy to hit the last day and hear the announcement that we have signed a golden nugget. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 8,151 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I understand it's easier said than done when it comes to transfers mate. I just think we could have been a bit quicker off the mark and benefited in Europe especially. 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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