The Manager and the Legend

 

“The Greatest Ever Ranger” is quite the title. An organisation such as Rangers Football Club can be matched by few others in terms of prestige and tradition. A true giant of an institution, and to be declared as the greatest ever employee of this club is an accolade that can be compared to few others.

 

Sure, as things stand, John Greig is officially crowned as the “Greatest Ever Ranger”. As an excellent ambassador on and off the field, few could argue that at the time, he truly merited this award. However, although this must be respected, as times have changed, and tales have unfolded, many would argue that we now have a new unofficial holder of the title.

 

In the first part of last year, Alistair McCoist spent his time battling for the very existence of our club. He was the very glue that held together what remained of our club, and represented the sanity that remained amongst the months of madness. After this, he has been the foundation of the rebuilding process. Without his backing of Green and his consortium, the whole process may not have been possible. His role is invaluable and cannot be underrated. No Rangers fan who lived through this period will ever underestimate what McCoist done for the club when he could quite easily have “walked away”.

 

However, as the season has progressed, and football has returned to the top of the agenda, we now find ourselves in a difficult situation. McCoist has had many difficult obstacles to overcome in building his team for this season. As Rangers battled through a turbulent summer, it led to an extremely irregular pre-season, with an uncertainty of whether a license to play football would even be granted. Since then, Ally and his coaching team have had to battle through an unlawful transfer embargo that has made their task no easier.

 

McCoist may have been forced into some extremely difficult circumstances in his second full season as a manager, but this must also be put into context. Although Rangers sit comfortably with a 20-point cushion at the top of the Third Division, this is the very least of what should be expected. It cannot be forgotten, that Rangers still have the second highest budget in the country. In proportion, we almost certainly have the biggest budget gap between ourselves and the rest of the league than exists anywhere in the world, so to win the league at a canter should be inevitable.

 

This is not an indicator, and it is getting to the point that we can no longer ignore the glaring issues that exist within the club.

 

This season, we have shown a great many deficiencies that remain prominent, and have shown very few signs of improvement. Quite honestly, I believe the team has played well, or at least of the standard that would be expected, on no more than a few occasions. Games have been won mainly through the sheer difference between a professional and an amateur footballer. It hasn’t been at all pretty to watch, and this could possibly have been accepted if the club had been trying something different, but they simply aren’t. A sheer lack of motivation and interest have manifested their way into the team, and it is a difficult slump to recover from. The “young squad” myth has been blasted apart already; Rangers were torn to shreds by a Dundee United team with a younger average age, and in reality, only two youngsters have truly impressed this season.

 

There also seems to be a lack of fitness. For a team of so-called professionals, one honestly would be forgiven for mistaking them for the teams they play against, who train no more than a couple of evenings per week. What is the top-of-the-range training facility being used for? There is close to no evidence that this is being effectively used, which is extremely worrying.

 

Beyond this, and perhaps most importantly, there seems to be a complete lack of structure to the whole process. Many have made the point that the only positive of dropping to the bottom tier of football, was that it would give the club a chance to completely rebuild. A time out where the pressure wasn’t so great, youngsters could be blooded into the team, and a philosophy and style could begin to take shape. Many have suggested the likes of Ajax as inspiration, but this is a million miles away at the present moment. There simply is no structure that would appear to be taking place; no effort to bring in a new scouting network (that we know of), or any other similar programmes. It appears to have been completely forgotten that this is a long-term project – it should not be treated as simply the easiest route back to the top. We need to be sure that when we do return to the top tier of football, we are a self-sufficient, structurally-sound club. Right now, we are completely bereft of this.

 

The matters discussed above are all very real, and all very concerning. There can be no doubt that McCoist has represented the club almost impeccably off the field in the past year, and it has shown that there will always be a place for him at Rangers Football Club. But is that role as manager? As time passes by, and (a lack of) plans develop, many seem less convinced that this is the case – faith is being lost at a rapid rate. It really isn’t about the results such as Saturday, as in the grand scheme of things, they matter little. What does matter in the long-term are fitness-levels and the structure of the club. Right now, we have very little of either of these, and fans are correct to express their concern over this. Is McCoist the right man to sort these issues out? Patience is running out for some. Or could it simply be that he needs better coaches around him to help address these questions?

 

What I believe we all agree on is that Ally should not be sacked. What he has done for the club cannot be forgotten, and there is simply no way he can be treated with such disrespect. If McCoist leaves, it will be on his own terms, and with the best wishes of every fan of the club. My personal opinion is that McCoist’s future lies in the Rangers boardroom. He is the embodiment of everything this club represents, and a great representative, but I doubt he is the long-term answer to the managerial role. However, if he carries on with the club, changes have to be made. The building of the club for years to come has to start now, and it currently isn’t happening. If both the club and Ally believe he is the right man for the job, serious discussion needs to take place this summer to address the glaring deficiencies.

 

Either way, change is needed – it needs to be fast, and it needs to be radical.