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Stevie Smith - 2 Year Deal


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Ian Durrant targets further defensive reinforcements at Rangers

 

The Rangers assistant manager knows that the side need to strengthen their defence, after conceding 27 goals last season, and that is where the priority will be for new signings.

 

Durrant's side have already added Nicky Law, Cammy Bell, Nicky Clark and Jon Daly to their ranks, while Arnold Peralta and Stevie Smith are expected to be added to the squad.

 

While progress has been made on summer recruitment, Durrant believes that more new faces must be added in the coming weeks.

 

He said: "We've got three or four that we need. We know for a fact we need some defenders in so in the next week or two weeks we'll be doing the rounds about Europe and scouring the lower leagues in England for a centre-half and a right-back to come in and play at Rangers.

 

"It's just a case of looking just now. The CVs will be coming in next week and also what players we can contractually get in touch with because of the transfer embargo.

 

"We'll have a wee look next week and hopefully we can come up with a few surprises."

 

Meanwhile, Durrant has revealed that Dorin Goian, who is currently on loan at Spezia Calcio in Italy's Serie B, wishes to return to Romania next season.

 

The future of Carlos Bocanegra is less clear, although Durrant is mindful that Jurgen Klinsmann has suggested the player would have to leave Ibrox for the good of his international career.

 

Interview: http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/227628-ian-durrant-targets-defensive-reinforcements-at-rangers/?

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As in, Wallace for CB and Smith as "LB" and Faure "RB" in a 3-man defence? Sounds good to me.

 

Absolutely not. We would get crucified down the flanks with those 3 at the back.

 

Smith & Faure arent even close to being fast enough to shut down wingers in a back 3. Wallace would be covering for them all day long.

 

IMHO the only way a 3 at the back works these days is if there is either pace from the 3 of them or if they have a wall of midfielders sitting right in front of them, we dont have the former and heaven forbid if we need the latter in SFL2.

 

I would be OK with a back 3 if they each had pace or could read the game like Davie Weir - but they dont.

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Hope we're not rushing things & just bringing in people who are available to be registered on Sept1. I'm sure this squad would see us thro' til the end of the year at which point we'd be able to get whoever we want.

Don't think Stevie Smith is worth a 2 year deal IMO. A one year deal would have been sufficient to allow him to prove himself.

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The wages we are no longer paying to Kyle, Sandaza and Alexander alone should easily cover the wages for Daly, Clark, Bell, Law and Smith. I know who I'd prefer to have.

 

This is a very good, and valid point stewarty. IF, and it is only IF, Alexander leaves we would be freeing up sizeable wages - Bell is a straight replacement on a fraction of the wages - and I suspect that you are right - the 5 we have picked up will probably be on LESS combined than the three you mentioned. So we have increased the squad in terms of numbers and, for me at least, without weakening it - in fact, looking at the 5 we brought in one would suspect that, at the very least, Bell, Daly and Law will be starters and possibly Clark too.

 

Bell will comfortably cover for Alexander

Law would replace either Hutton or Black (with McLeod replacing the other)

Daly can play up front (or play at the back where we have been shaky, though I would prefer we actually brought in a bona fide CB rather than shoe-horn Daly into this position)

Clark obviously can play up top - would like to see how he does beside either Daly or big Jig (that said, it would be tough, IMO, to drop Little, who has done admirably well when deployed up front)

Smith is clearly a squad filler in the event that Wallace gets injured, which is fair enough - two players for each position and all that. Many on here seem to not be keen on this signing - but we have been screaming out for McCoist to play players in their natural positions - this signing looks to me like McCoist recognises he has no natural back-up to Wallace and has gone out and plugged that gap with someone who is of decent enough standard, certainly at this level and probably even above (injuries notwithstanding).

 

I would say that, thus far, in terms of the signings we have made vs the players that have left (assuming Alexander DOES leave) that we have improved the squad (in terms of both numbers AND quality) and also improved the finances of the club (new players wages more than covered by players who have left). I would, at this point, give McCoist a B+ (though would even consider an A- for summer transfers.

 

The only caveat is that we have been here before..... just last year in fact.... when we were making SPL signings and being enthused about the impact they would have on the club and quality on show... and they helped prove nothing more than a false dawn. But at least with Law & Clark we have attack minded players who can play a bit - they at least look like they will improve the squad... ON PAPER. But football was never played on paper - so time will tell.

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personally i think 3 at the back is an abomination. but some pretty good coaches in Italy etc disagree with me and i am no football coach.

 

Very, very few coaches deploy 3 at the back in this day and age. The norm is to deploy variations of 4-5-1 (whether that be 4-2-3-1, a straight 4-5-1, 4-3-3 (when in possession) etc etc). It is the accepted norm right now, but may change again.

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