1 Is sacking Alex
McLeish the answer
to Rangers' problems?
Players win matches, and victories are the currency that keeps the world of the football manager revolving. Let's be frank: McLeish would not have been Rangers manager had the club continued to harbour delusions of grandeur.
The anticipated seasons of wither have arrived, and have bitten harder than even David Murray would have anticipated. Some of McLeish's signings have been questionable but he himself must bemoan the failures of World Cup winners like Emerson, UEFA Cup winners like Nuno Capucho and now decorated internationalists like Dado Prso and Dragan Mladenovic.
He has been let down badly by players well compensated for sullying their reputations in Scottish football but no longer does the manager rule the roost in this precarious business. McLeish must ensure Rangers' place in the UEFA Cup group stages to earn a reprieve.
2 What options does David Murray have?
Mercifully for McLeish, Murray is not renowned for being trigger-happy. In fact, both Walter Smith and Dick Advocaat overstayed their Ibrox welcomes. Managing Rangers is no longer an attractive proposition for those with lofty aspirations.
As a result, the names offered thus far are a veritable Who's Who of yesterday's men. George Graham, bluenose, bolshie and receptive to a bung, is a favourite among those who believe background is more important than prospects. He has been out of the loop for too long and has been accustomed to handsome funds throughout his coaching career.
A return for Smith would smack of clinging on to past glories, while Terry Venables has inadequate knowledge of Scottish football. Foreign managers would require promises Murray cannot afford to keep, so Craig Levein and Jimmy Calderwood are the only logical possibilities. Would either of them, though, fare better than McLeish?
3Are the fans losing faith in the manager?
The football fan is a fickle beast. Sate him with success and he is a Burberry-capped pussycat. Deny him what he regards as a basic human right and the claws are out.
In truth, the hardcore Rangers supporter - i.e. one who can literally follow, follow anywhere and everywhere - is a middle- to upper-class businessman with enough expendable income to willingly throw down the financial black hole that is their football club of choice.
In Madeira, one such supporter bemoaned the ''gash'' he had just witnessed and vented his spleen at ''a f*****g waste of 500 quid''. The vocal minority have already given McLeish their vote of no-confidence but ask them again if Rangers prevail against Maritimo and beat Celtic in November, and the answer would doubtless be very different.
4Why have the
goals dried up?
Dado Prso and Nacho Novo promised much in pre-season but the summer signings have yet to deliver. Curiously, given his acknowledgment last season that the club lacked
a ''cutting edge'' in attack, McLeish defended the pair after the Maritimo defeat, stating that the Croat is not an out-and-out goalscorer and the Spaniard a rookie.
Prso has been pushed out on the left of late, a position in which he apparently excels for his country and made his name while at Monaco. Rangers, though, are no Monaco.
Novo, the Premierleague's second-top scorer last season, cannot be faulted for effort but execution has deserted him.
Shota Arveladze has struggled to recapture his form and Steven Thompson has been marginalised. Steven MacLean and Darryl Duffy, meanwhile, have been scoring freely since being released.
5Is there a lack of leadership in the team?
The deposed captain, Craig Moore, would have been a Blackburn Rovers player had he not failed a medical.
Sources close to the defender claim he has been treated disrespectfully for wishing to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. His motivation, after all of this, is consigned to ensuring a move to England at the next window
of opportunity.
Stefan Klos has assumed the responsibilities but the shy German is not the kind of personality required in times of trouble. Jean-Alain Boumsong, the one ray of sunshine so far, has signed with one eye on the Premiership and was keen on a move to Newcastle until Murray insisted there would be no deserters. Quite simply, there are too many agendas in the Ibrox dressing room for there to be blissful harmony.
6Are the new crop any better than Emerson, Capucho, Ostenstad & Co?
Statistically, they are worse. At this stage last season, Rangers were top of the league with maximum points before a 1-1 draw with Panathinaikos in Athens at the start of October sparked a rapid decline.
Boumsong is arguably the only new recruit who has performed consistently well while the rest have failed to justify their reputations and exorbitant salaries. Prso is willing but evidently lacking in pace, while Novo has pace in abundance yet lacks poise in front of goal.
Gregory Vignal is no more productive than Paolo Vanoli or Michael Ball, Alex Rae has endured a miserable return through injury and suspension and Mladenovic has not lived up to his billing as a Serbian powerhouse.
Marvin Andrews may wish to consult God before the next transfer window.
7Why aren't there more pupils of the Murray Park academy graduating to the first team?
For decades, Rangers' youth development was neglected as the club spent millions to ensure domestic domination and European distinction. As a consequence, many of those who have come through the ranks have not been given the support or expertise to reach for the sky and have found their levels in the lower leagues.
Chris Burke is the shining light of the new system but the club do not anticipate a serious influx of ready-made Rangers for at least another two years. Constant change in coaching personnel has not helped matters and, ironically, so scarce is the local talent that the coaches have had to go foreign to bolster their youth teams.
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