Is 2nd Best Acceptable?

[calscot 0]

Going back 7 years is choosing your years to fit your theory.

 

Using arbitrary 5 season multiples:

 

5 seasons - 3/5

10 seasons - 6/10

15 seasons - 6/15

20 seasons - 7/20

25 seasons - 11/25

 

(Actually includes a third place but who's quibbling)

 

You could look at it as a big trough a high peak and then another big trough with means we could be heading for another peak or just a time where we swap league titles every other season.

 

I don't honestly think DM has settled for second. What has happened is that he has overspent, got his fingers burnt and is scared to spend again.

 

When you look at his managerial appointments, I think he is hard to fault - Eck was the best young manager in Scotland, PLG the best young manager in Europe and Walter about the steadiest hands around. Even the McCoist appointment seems pretty astute.

 

His spending has been poor but he has tried to get our debt down as low as possible in a climate where we struggle to compete with the big five leagues for players.

 

Celtic have hardly been spending a tenner for our every fiver and I don't think we are that far behind them squad-wise as our last 11 games has hinted at.

 

However we've needed rebuilding for years now and have been unsuccessful in the bargain basement under Eck and Le Guen. Walter needs some serious money but there is no way we can go over-board.

 

I'll go with the 8M suggested by the RST spokesman. I may be naive but I can't believe that Walter would take over without being able to compete with Celtic in the transfer market and I think we need a one time debt increase to do it.

 

After that we need to look at increasing our revenue to be able to spend and to do that we first need a team to qualify for the CL hence the need for one time borrowings.

 

Other forms of income come from glamour friendlies and we're definitely starting to do that again with home games against Ajax and Chelsea with a fat fee from LA Galaxy away.

 

Other than selling players for profit or increasing the stadium - which isn't very viable at the moment I can't see what we can do without either a European league or Atlantic League.

 

DM is denying us funds from ticketing and catering but I don't know if that impacts dramatically.

 

The JJB deal is either good or bad depending on how you look at it. It provides a guaranteed income which is good for our credit rating but not so good if we don't use it. It makes the club more sellable and that's the issue that needs to come to a head. DM needs to commit for a specified number of years or get rid. The limbo he's giving us is very detrimental.

 

I honestly think that with a few signings including Brown, McCulloch and hopefully Koevermanns along with the usual Bosmans, under Smith we can challenge for the title next year and qualify for the CL.

 

The title is never guaranteed so it's at least a step in the right direction with obvious evidence that Smith is up to the job.

 

Eck and PLG were high risks that didn't pay off. WS is low risk and I can't see us not being in contention.

 

Anyway my point is, that at least domestic-wise the picture is not that gloomy. Our biggest problem is how to compete with leagues where the relegated teams get more than 10 times the TV money we do and the mid table teams get as much from TV as our total turnover?

 

That's the thing that really scares me.

[buba3d 0]

Well put it this way, 2nd place gets you a champions league qualifying place, just like first place. so in other words, yes.

[CammyF 6,798]

Well put it this way, 2nd place gets you a champions league qualifying place, just like first place. so in other words, yes.

 

So our long term future is based on qualification for the CL? What happens when UEFA take this away from Scotland and finishing 2nd only gets you into the UEFA Cup?

 

Can't believe that any Rangers fan believes that 2nd best is acceptable.

 

Cammy F

[buba3d 0]

champions league = money, the spl trophy does not

I'm not happy with 2nd place but as that banner once said, it's a must, after all the hell we've been through.

[theboyharley 5]

 

You could look at it as a big trough a high peak and then another big trough with means we could be heading for another peak or just a time where we swap league titles every other season.

 

I agree these things tend to swing back and forth every couple of years. Our time will come again

 

 

When you look at his managerial appointments, I think he is hard to fault - Eck was the best young manager in Scotland, PLG the best young manager in Europe and Walter about the steadiest hands around. Even the McCoist appointment seems pretty astute.

 

I heard recently from a very reliable source that PLG was not all he was made out to be. PLG apparently wasnt offered any other jobs (Real Madrid, Newcastle etc). He was considered by the French media to be a puppet that the Lyon chairman could control. The Lyon team was considered to be a Ferrari, the board just wanted someone to drive it the way they wanted to. The Scottish press took this to mean PLG was a Ferrari. When infact he came into Ibrox and ruined the atmosphere, stopped guys/legends like Durrant inviting their wives to the game in the Cooper suite and were instead moved along a corridor to a lesser room. He effectively ruined the family feel to the club.

 

 

 

However we've needed rebuilding for years now and have been unsuccessful in the bargain basement under Eck and Le Guen. Walter needs some serious money but there is no way we can go over-board.

 

I dont think you can say Eck was unsuccessful, he had a couple of duds like Capucho but who here wasnt excited by him coming with a proven record. We all seen him destroy Celtic that day with Porto. For every Capucho we got a Boumsong, Prso, Hemdani, F De Boer. Hardly unsuccessful signings.

 

I'll go with the 8M suggested by the RST spokesman. I may be naive but I can't believe that Walter would take over without being able to compete with Celtic in the transfer market and I think we need a one time debt increase to do it.

 

Other forms of income come from glamour friendlies and we're definitely starting to do that again with home games against Ajax and Chelsea with a fat fee from LA Galaxy away.

 

 

Agreed, we need to prostitute ourselves out to the Asian market by touring. I dont like the idea of this but if we dont then others will and id rather we got the money.

 

 

 

DM is denying us funds from ticketing and catering but I don't know if that impacts dramatically.

 

Does anyone know what would happen to these areas if SDM leaves. I assume there will be long term contracts in place?

 

 

 

I honestly think that with a few signings including Brown, McCulloch and hopefully Koevermanns along with the usual Bosmans, under Smith we can challenge for the title next year and qualify for the CL.

 

I think the most important thing over the summer is to make sure we get Brown. I really do think this boy has the potential to be a future Gers/Scotland captain.

 

 

Eck and PLG were high risks that didn't pay off. WS is low risk and I can't see us not being in contention.

 

I cant understand why Eck was a risk that didnt pay off. You also said earlier that you couldnt argue with SDM's managers so how can you say they were high risks? Eck made Rangers 14 million and got them out the debt that had been crippling us. We were also reasonably successful against a very strong Celtic team so all things considered i think it did 'pay off'. I honestly think he would still be in charge if he had a bit of money to spend.

 

Anyway my point is, that at least domestic-wise the picture is not that gloomy. Our biggest problem is how to compete with leagues where the relegated teams get more than 10 times the TV money we do and the mid table teams get as much from TV as our total turnover?

 

I doubt we ever will compete with them

 

That's the thing that really scares me.

 

Some good points raised though mate

[Gribz 743]

Can't believe that any Rangers fan believes that 2nd best is acceptable.

 

Cammy F

 

Agreed there. Whats the point in even turning up to games if our target is 2nd place. We should be determined to be No.1 again but unfortunatly our current position isnt allowing that.

 

Im hopeful the summer period shows we are and it will depend on what happens in the transfer market.

[craig 5,199]

I don't think that anyone was saying that 2nd best was acceptable - I think what people were saying was that it is inevitable that we won't finish 1st all the time and that, in that case, 2nd best is what we have to achieve.

 

The target should always to strive be the best but sometimes it wont happen - doesn't mean that we aren't trying to be 1st.

[Frankie 8,151]

Rangers should be first and in a 2 horse race that's not impossible IMO.

[calscot 0]

You can't aim for first spot when it's out of reach. In that case you aim to finish second by a margin.

 

Rangers can't and won't always be first and we have no divine right to be. Right now we need to get real and firstly get ourselves in a position where we are generally at least on a parity with Celtic.

 

At the moment we don't have anything to give us an edge over them and plenty that keeps us playing catch-up.

 

We used to have far better leadership than them, more money than them, more fans than them, a louder support than them, a better philosophy than them, and of course a better manager and squad than them.

 

But that's now turned on it's head and it's the obstacles we have in ever gaining superiority again.

[Frankie 8,151]

I'm not saying we have the divine right to be first.

 

I'm just saying every season it should be a realistic objective and if the current regime can't facilitate that then we need a new regime. Unfortunately, as we know that not as easy to come back as many fans think.

 

As such, we need to apply pressure whenever and whereever possible on the current one.