Guest superrcooper7 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Nikica Jelavic sale key to Rangers transfer deals, says Ally McCoist â?¢ No room on Ibrox wage bill for new players â?¢ Manager defends under-fire scouting team reddit this Ewan Murray guardian.co.uk, Saturday 28 January 2012 22.55 GMT Article history Rangers' Nikica Jelavic, right, could be sold this month. Photograph: Chris Clark/PA "What I can say to you, and I haven't said to anyone else, is that I can assure every Rangers fan I will not bring any player to this club that I don't think can play in the team or certainly benefit the squad." That is Ally McCoist's firm vow as the Rangers manager edges closer to what has proved so far an inauspicious transfer window to date for the Ibrox club. McCoist has understandably stopped short of speaking about it publicly, but his hopes and plans of reclaiming the Scottish Premier League title have surely been blunted by fiscal reality. As a batch of trialists have come and gone from Rangers' Murray Park training complex â?? in certain cases, after only one day â?? scepticism has been rife. McCoist was unable to offer a contract to a free agent from Estonia simply on the basis there was not a spare wage. McCoist's hopes have seemed intrinsically linked to the future of one of his key players, Nikica Jelavic. While the striker's sale would unquestionably hinder Rangers on the pitch, a salary saving would allow McCoist at least some leeway. A key question amid what is, surely, an unsatisfactory situation is whether McCoist is more culpable in this current scenario than the Rangers owner, Craig Whyte. Those who criticise the manager point out that three players â?? Matt McKay, Alejandro Bedoya and Juan Ortiz â?? were brought in during the last transfer window and have subsequently made little or no impact at all. An extension of this scrutiny is that Rangers' first-team scouting operation, headed by their former players Neil Murray and John Brown, may not be up to standard. "We could sit here and give each other 20 players over the last two years who have come to the Old Firm and it hasn't worked out," McCoist explains. "We have got a fantastic scouting set-up. Neil and John are top class in my opinion. "They have given me nothing but fantastic support and help and that'll continue. I know that people will question the signings that don't come into the team and do well. That's part of the business, that's fine, but I'm realistic [enough] to know that every signing is not going to be a success." With good reason, McCoist points to the impact of the defensive players he also recruited around the start of the season. "We had to replace players in the team," he says. "Equally, we had to replace players in the squad. Simple as that. I think we brought in seven players. You wouldn't think I'd be signing seven players to go into my team. "You maybe sign four that you hope to get into your team. We had to replace players who we had on loan last year and they weren't playing every week. So we have replaced them, you could argue, with players roughly in the same boat." With a championship at stake, and Celtic moving to overturn a 15-point advantage Rangers held at one stage, the importance of a fraught situation off the field can be lost. Especially, that is, by supporters who crave success. "The ones who sit back and take a look at the whole picture will definitely understand the economics of the situation," McCoist adds. "The club has been downsizing for a number of years now and still managed to win the title. The situation we are in now is certainly as difficult but I still believe we will win the title, absolutely." El Hadji-Diouf was the most high‑profile arrival at Ibrox a year ago. Despite the controversial striker not featuring week on week for Rangers in those closing months of the season, McCoist recalls the significance of January transfer moves. "Absolutely massive. It might sound crazy because they didn't play an awful lot but I just think the influence they had was massive," the manager insists. "I thought we did some great business there. I'm not saying we wouldn't have won the title but it really, really helped us." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest superrcooper7 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Ally McCoist plays down blow as ‘target’ Pawel Brozek opts for Celtic Despite a 4-0 demolition of Hibs, Ally McCoist is still hunting for strikers. Picture: Getty Published on Sunday 29 January 2012 00:07 RANGERS manager Ally McCoist last night tried to play down his disappointment after it was confirmed that Pawel Brozek, the Polish striker who had been among his signing targets, had opted to enter into contract negotiations with Celtic. Speaking after his team’s 4-0 win against Hibernian at Ibrox, McCoist said: “I’d have to admit it’s a disappointment. All I would say is that I would use the word ‘target’ a little bit carefully. He’s a player we were looking at. I won’t lie to you, we were interested in him, but there were no specific bids. I have not had contact with the player or the agent. He’s absolutely within his rights to do what he thinks is best for himself.” Trabzonspor, the Turkish club for whom Brozek currently plays, announced on their website yesterday morning that the 28-year-old would join Celtic on loan until the end of the season if an agreement could be reached. The statement read: “The negotiations which will be made in the aim of loaning our professional footballer Pawel Brozek to the Scottish club Celtic until the end of the current season are beginning.” McCoist said that there had been no further developments with Nikica Jelavic’s proposed transfer to West Ham United, who had an offer turned down by Rangers last week. He also said that signing Jorge Claros, the Honduran midfielder who was on trial at Murray Park, was not a priority, for the moment at least. “We are not just in a position to offer him a contract yet,” said McCoist. “We will sit down again probably tomorrow or Monday morning to discuss the situation. He has done very well. He played in a couple of games and he looks comfortable. I think we are slightly better covered in that position than we are in one or two [other] positions. That’s not to say I wouldn’t like him on board. But with [Lee] McCulloch, [steven] Davis, [Maurice] Edu, boys like that, we are reasonably better off in that sort of area.” Claros has returned to his Honduran club Motagua and their manager, Pepe Trevino, is unhappy at the player’s treatment. He said: “Jorge has a great future and will sign for a good club in Europe soon. Maybe it was not his time at Rangers – I don’t know why they didn’t sign him. Rangers took him for two weeks and now say they have money problems. They should have told him before that. He is a very good player and deserves to be treated better than this.” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest superrcooper7 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Rangers' ability to score will be damaged, should top striker Nikica Jelavic leave, but the club can still prosper according to boss Ally McCoist. The Croatia forward missed Rangers' 4-0 win over Hibernian due to illness but McCoist was bullish about his team's prospects if the player is sold. He said: "There's not just life beyond Nikica, there's life beyond us all. "There are bigger players who have left this club and the club always goes on. The club is the most important thing." The win at Ibrox was achieved through two goals by Steven Davis and one apiece from David Healy and Sone Aluko. It moves Rangers to within a point of Celtic at the summit of the Scottish Premier League, with Neil Lennon's side in Scottish League Cup semi-final action on Sunday against Falkirk. Hibs' James McPake was sent off on his debut after earning second yellow card for a foul on Maurice Edu, a decision that upset his manager Pat Fenlon. In his post-match nterview comments, McCoist stressed his admiration for the Ibrox club's top goalscorer, the subject of a failed bid by West Ham, but he also was adamant that other players can provide the goals to keep Rangers in the title chase. "Nikica, if he went, would be a big loss. He's a fantastic player and he has been a great talent here," said the manager. "But, as you saw today, we scored some really good goals. Nikica also didn't play against Motherwell and equally we did very well. That's just two examples. "I'd also like to tell you I wouldn't like to lose him. Of course I wouldn't because he's a good player. "But I understand the economics of our club and I understand the economics of football. Continue reading the main story I do like him and wouldn't mind getting him on board but I think we do need to prioritise other areas of the park Rangers manager Ally McCoist on Honduran Jorge Claros "Sometimes they dictate and determine what happens rather than other things." McCoist was quoted on the Rangers website on Friday discussing the Polish striker Pawel Brozek and Hamdi Salihi. He had said: "These are players that we're aware of and in an ideal world we might be able to get them to the club but there's nothing for me to tell you at the moment." But on Saturday Brozek was being linked with a move to Celtic instead. "It's a disappointment but I would use the word 'target' a little bit carefully," said McCoist after the Hibs match. "He's a player we were looking at and - I won't lie to you - we were sort of interested in but there were no specific bids made and I didn't have any contact with the player or the agent. "He's absolutely well within his rights to do what he thinks is best for himself. There's no doubt about that. "It would take a lot more than that to really disappoint me to be honest." A move now also appears unlikely for Honduran midfielder Jorge Claros, following his trial spell. McCoist added: "Where we are at the moment with Claros is we are not in a position to offer him a contract yet. "We will sit down again tomorrow and Monday to discuss the situation. He has done well and he has looked comfortable. "Being 100% honest, we are slightly better covered in that position than we are in one or two positions. "That's not to say that I wouldn't like him on board or I wouldn't take him. "I do like him and wouldn't mind getting him on board but I think we do need to prioritise other areas of the park." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Berliner 3,287 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 So in essence, we have not even spoken to Trabzonspor or his agent about Brozek ... and I guess we are "interested" in many more people than him. As for Claros, a touch disappointing, but I would not read too much into the negative rumblings from the press and his current manager. I would assume that there will be a hectic few days ahead of Mr. McCoist, with the press being frenetic as usual, the hysteria will reach a peak on the boards too. (Have a sneaky feeling that we may end up with the striker from Falkirk, whom we did not want to sign ahead of the Bairns' semi-final with the Hooped Horrors ... ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juancornetto 1 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 So in essence, we have not even spoken to Trabzonspor or his agent about Brozek ... and I guess we are "interested" in many more people than him. As for Claros, a touch disappointing, but I would not read too much into the negative rumblings from the press and his current manager. I would assume that there will be a hectic few days ahead of Mr. McCoist, with the press being frenetic as usual, the hysteria will reach a peak on the boards too. (Have a sneaky feeling that we may end up with the striker from Falkirk, whom we did not want to sign ahead of the Bairns' semi-final with the Hooped Horrors ... ) I hope so, I rate El Alagui (from Falkirk) I think he would be one that one flourish playing with better players at a higher level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefanovitch 0 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I hope so, I rate El Alagui (from Falkirk) I think he would be one that one flourish playing with better players at a higher level. I haven't seen him other than when Falkirk beat us. He does know where the goal is and surely wouldn't cost a lot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dutchy Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I expect a mad flurry of activity on Tuesday, just before the window closes, especially if Jelavic goes. And to date, Brozek has not signed for anyone else, although I do wonder why septic always want to chase the players we look at. I suspect they're still hurting from the Mo Johnston signing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juancornetto 1 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I haven't seen him other than when Falkirk beat us. He does know where the goal is and surely wouldn't cost a lot. Typical Algerian/Moroccan sometimes walks through games but wins everything and can finish, composed and clinical. Not a great turn of pace and he likes a tackle! I'd say worth the gamble if we can afford him...(can't believe I've just typed that) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I expect a mad flurry of activity on Tuesday, just before the window closes, especially if Jelavic goes. And to date, Brozek has not signed for anyone else, although I do wonder why septic always want to chase the players we look at. I suspect they're still hurting from the Mo Johnston signing. I suspect they're not. 2 days to go..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
metlika 0 Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 Unfortunately I fear we will sign nobody and Jelavic will go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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