Biggest summer since Souness
RANGERS face their most important summer for 20 years as Walter Smith attempts to rebuild a side that has failed to compete for the title in the past two seasons.
That was the message from the powerful Rangers Supporters Trust, in the week that season ticket renewals again landed on supporters' doormats.
Trophyless for the past two campaigns, and now under the third manager in that turbulent period, chairman David Murray strongly pledged his support to Smith in a letter to his season ticket holders that accompanied their renewal forms.
But RST spokesman David Edgar today spoke candidly about the future of the club.
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And he insisted that the job Smith undertakes in the coming months will be the most crucial mission the club has faced, since Graeme Souness's shock arrival prodded a sleeping giant from its slumber back in 1986.
"This is the most important summer Rangers have faced since Graeme Souness arrived," said Edgar.
"We have gone two seasons without a trophy, and have won just two trophies in the last four years. That says enough about the job in hand for the manager who, it has to be said, is working miracles with the squad he inherited.
Rangers' main business in recent transfer windows:
IN - Kevin Thomson (Hibs £2m), Davie Weir, Ugo Ehiogu and Andy Webster.OUT - Jeremy Clement (PSG £1.7m), Fernando Ricksen (Zenit £1m), Phil Bardsley, Julien Rodriguez, Lee Martin, Lionel Letizi (all free).
IN - Filip Sebo (Austria Vienna £1.8m), Karl Svensson (Goteborg £600k), Sasa Papac (Austria Vienna £500k), Jeremy Clement (Lyon £1.1m) OUT - Ronald Waterreus, Peter Lovenkrands, Soti Kyrgiakos, Marvin Andrews, Bob Malcolm, Jose Pierre-Fanfan, Olivier Bernard (all freed or paid off). Hamed Namouchi (Lorient £600k), Zura Khizanishvili (Blackburn Rovers £450k).
IN - Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock £450k)OUT - Stevie Thompson (Cardiff City £250k)
IN - Brahim Hemdani, Jose Pierre-Fanfan, Federico Nieto, Franny Jeffers, Olivier Bernard - all free.
"The fans are obviously not happy. The overwhelming feeling we get is that a significant level of investment is required to get Rangers back to being a force again, in terms of the title.
"And on the evidence of the spending in the past two years, will that happen? Is there a desire to make it happen?"
He added: "A bit of a malaise has come over the Rangers fans. We've done all we can by taking out record season tickets, buying strips etc...
"But I think it's time for the support to see something back. We need a major injection of quality in terms of players and the people at the top have to do everything they can to provide the manager with the tools to do the job."
Edgar admitted some hardcore fans had indicated they might not renew their season books because of the way things had gone at the club in the past couple of years, preferring to go on a match-to-match basis.
Clearly, the hierarchy are sailing close to the wind in terms of fans' patience after two seasons of domestic disaster.
Some season tickets will go up in price for next season in parts of Ibrox, others have been frozen, with the average hike set to be around £20.
In his letter, Murray pledged: "I am writing to you after a regretfully disappointing season draws to a close, yet once again Rangers supporters have continued to demonstrate unwavering allegiance which has not waned during this season of change.
"It saw us reach another record high of 43,000 season ticket holders even though the stadium capacity was increased by 1000 seats.
"The immediate priority, however, is bolstering the first-team squad and I am committed to backing Walter to ensure the success that Rangers fans rightly expect.
"This will enable him to mount a serious challenge for the title next season, and to secure Champions League participation on a regular basis.
"To achieve these objectives, we need to strengthen the squad, but it is vitally important we operate within our financial means, which in an increasingly competitive market will require prudent management.
"Walter has also made it clear that players, new and existing, will have to earn their place in the Rangers first-team squad.
"I am determined as ever to ensure success and I am confident that next season we will fight to regain the domestic title and make our mark in Europe."
Therein, Edgar believes, is the crunch issue for Rangers. Although the money is not there to the degree that Murray lavished on previous managers, there has been little investment in the squad in terms of transfers.
The old adage of you get what you pay for' has applied in the last two seasons.
In fact, taking aside the window of January 2005, when Rangers shelled out over £7m on Barry Ferguson and Thomas Buffel after selling Boumsong for £8m, you have to go back to the summer of 2002, when Mikel Arteta arrived in a £5.8m deal, to find the last major splash in the market.
"As a support, we understand that the days of our club spending £20m and £30m in the one summer has gone," said Edgar.
"But I would suggest that between £8m and £10m would be required to be spent on the squad over this summer. We will lose high earners like Dado Prso and Stefan Klos, and more came in than was spent in the last transfer window.
"It comes down to ambition. Do the people who run Rangers want the club to be No.1 again? If so, we need to spend on players. It really is that simple as this squad will not be good enough.
"Yes, we have some decent players to build on. Davie Weir, Barry Ferguson, Stevie Smith, Kevin Thomson, Brahim Hemdani and Andy Webster. But there has to be an influx of quality.
"You can't kid people with Bosmans anymore. Except for the occasional diamond like Boumsong, there is normally a reason why players are available for free."