David Weir has given extraordinary value for money for Rangers. A free transfer signing in January 2007, at the age of 36, the centre-back was nothing more than a stopgap to help Walter Smith stabilize and solidify the team after the fiasco that was Paul Le Guen's reign at Ibrox.
Four years on, Mr Stopgap has played two hundred games for the club. Far from declining with age, he was Scotland's Player Of The Year last season, despite turning 40 the same month that the campaign ended. He has been a wonderful signing for the club; an object of consistency and professionalism.
This makes it all the more sad that last weekend's Old Firm game showed his time is at an end.
Gary Hooper was the harbinger of doom; poor Weir appeared to be moving in slow-motion at times in comparison to the Celtic striker, such was the difference in acceleration. The first time Hooper got the veteran one-on-one he left Weir languishing on his backside, having been nutmegged. That was the warning which Rangers didn't, or couldn't heed; shortly afterwards the Englishman danced gracefully around his opponent once more, and this time he scored. For the second goal, Weir simply didn't have the pace to get back after Celtic had got in behind - no defender was within 5 yards as Hooper slid home for his second goal. It was largely the story of the game, with Celtic quicker in thought and in action and Rangers looking slow and weary.
The miracle is how long Weir has lasted; his durability has allowed his manager to ignore nagging worries about the need to bring in fresh blood in central defence. Smith has even been able to let the likes of Danny Wilson (who seems to feel he will develop better in Liverpool's reserves than in Rangers' first team) and Andy Webster (who Smith just didn't seem to like) leave. But now the task of replacing Weir rears its ugly head at last...though it will be a problem for Smith's successor.
But a new defender will cost money which Rangers don't have. In recent years the Ibrox side seem to have largely gone for big splashes in the transfer market rather than cheaper deals - Nikica Jelavic for £4m, Kyle Lafferty for £3m, Steven Davis for £3m, Madjid Bougherra for £2.5m, Maurice Edu for £2.5m...these are the sort of signings that have been made. Bougherra and Davis in particular could probably succeed in the Premier League, but would they fetch bigger fees than Rangers paid for them initially? I'm not convinced. In fact, the only player in the whole squad who appears likely to make the club considerable profit is goalkeeper Allan McGregor.
The marker of a successful "selling club" - for that is what SPL sides are now,
ultimately, is to buy cheap and sell expensive, so you can then buy better and
slightly more expensive players next time and sell them for even bigger prices and so on. Rangers haven't got the hang of it yet. In contrast, for all the dislikeable things about Neil Lennon, his transfer moves so far have been glorious. One consoling thought for Bluenoses after Sunday was that the best players on the pitch - Hooper, Emilio Izaguirre and Beram Kayal - are far too good for this diddy league; they will surely be seduced by bigger clubs in the near future. But the combined fee for that trio in the summer is in fact slightly less than the price Rangers paid for Jelavic; whilst the suggestion by Craig Brown that Izaguirre is "like Roberto Carlos" and the £10million tag that Celtic have supposedly put on him are pure hyperbole, the Honduran full back is good enough to earn his club, say, £4million? I'd say the same for Hooper and Kayal as well. Assuming Celtic's £9million debt is wiped out by Champions League qualification next season (if they win the league, far from a foregone conclusion), that money can be reinvested in the playing squad.
It's some turnaround from Tony Mowbray and his dud signings. Add in shrewd free
transfers such as Daniel Majstorovic, Cha Du Ri and Charlie Mulgrew and Lennon
appears to have achieved what every manager dreams of...a dramatic short term
improvement in the team, coupled with a sound long-term plan. I don't know who
deserves more plaudits - Lennon or his scouts - but Celtic are on a much firmer
footing than their rivals right now.
If Rangers don't get the hang of being "a selling club" fast, the balance of power in Scottish football will be very firmly in the East End of Glasgow.
L.
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