The state of the Union(ists)

Darren McGregor's departure raises more questions than answers

On the pitch, Rangers have got it sorted at last.

Yes, I type that through the keyboard equivalent of gritted teeth; my disdain for both cheeks of the Old Firm arse (cue some Celtic fans instantly tweeting me to tell me that "there is no Old Firm") has never been a secret, and like fans of many other diddy teams I have taken rather a lot of amusement from their recent plight.

But having taken the novel approach of appointing a competent manager, the Gers look set to cruise the Scottish Championship in the way that Hearts did last season.  They look so much better in every area of the pitch; the defence looks more solid and less gaffe-prone; in attack they have already proved that they can hurt opponents in all sorts of different ways.  Heck, right-back James Tavernier has already got five goals this season.  They look fit, they look motivated and they look very capable.

Quality recruitment has helped.  I recently read the outstanding book The Nowhere Men, about the life of football scouts, where the point is frequently made that managers often live and die by how good they are at signing and selling players.  'Quality' is not a adjective that would be used to describe the squad-building of the last three years, but this summer Mark Warburton has made some great additions - Tavernier, Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan in defence, Andy Halliday and Jason Holt in midfield, Martyn Waghorn up front, plus a bunch of loan signings who have already made more impact than most of the Newcastle loanees who stole a wage last season.

This common sense, economical approach is somewhat in contrast to the narrative that has come out of Ibrox - and therefore been trumpeted as fact by the Scottish press - for most of the summer.  With the Three Bears, led by South Africa-based billionaire Dave King, now apparently calling the shots, there was talk of millions being invested, of 'top top players' coming to Govan.  We've had, for example, the drawn-out Scott Allan affair, which ended with the Hibernian midfielder signing for Celtic instead.

This was probably a PR tactic to boost season ticket sales; given that Ibrox is full to the brim for home games again, it seems to have worked, and the results mean that nobody is complaining that the team is full of players they haven't heard of.  Allan is a case in point; I'm not convinced that, Halliday, Holt and Nicky Law in central midfield, there was a need to sign him at all.

But given the successful start to the campaign, this week's activity was somewhat odd.  Not the arrival on loan of Arsenal's Gedion Zelalem, a talented midfielder who will fit well into the new setup (though not so well as to justify this sycophantic piece in the Guardian - "dribble like Iniesta and pass like Xavi"?!).  And the exit of Lithuanian veteran Marius Zaliukas, who hardly impressed when fit last season, was not unexpected either; one wouldn't be surprised to see him sign for Kilmarnock, as it's the sort of depressing, relatively thoughtless move that Gary Locke would make.

Darren McGregor's departure, on the other hand, was a big surprise...nay, a shock.  The ex-St. Mirren man was the club's player of the year last season, and deservedly so.  Often played out of position at right-back, he impressed whilst those around him floundered, and his excellent attitude put many higher profile and better remunerated teammates to shame.  He was expected to make a significant contribution this season, even when Kiernan and Wilson were signed.

Not so.  He had his contract terminated by good old mutual consent this week, and signed for Championship rivals Hibernian the next day.  Given that Rangers spent the summer fruitlessly pursuing Hibs' star of last year, it seems deliciously ironic that it was in fact the Edinburgh side that signed Rangers' best player of 2014-15, rather than the other way round.

Two questions come to mind.  Firstly, why let him go?  With Zaliukas offski, the Gers have only five defenders in the squad now, with only one right-back and one left-back.  It seems very unlikely that Wilson and Kiernan will stay fit for the whole campaign; even if they did, Rangers are competing on four fronts, and right now you wouldn't bet against them going deep into all three cup competitions.  Squad depth will be important.

The second question: why didn't they try for a transfer fee?  McGregor was still under contract.  With a week of the transfer window left, it's not impossible that they could have got a six figure fee for a decent and versatile defender.  Instead, they almost certainly had to offer him something of a payoff, which will not have amounted to petty cash.

According to the papers, the answer to the two questions is simple: it's because Rangers didn't want to stand in McGregor's way.  Well, I call bullshit on that one.  An alternative view is that it is a cost-cutting measure.  At the time of writing, the squad has been streamlined to fourteen players over the age of 21, plus a few youngsters and three loanees.

And that takes us to the one issue that remains: the finances.  For the rich investors haven't really invested much at all, beyond some loans.  Despite the terrible relationship with Mike Ashley, the club of course refused to pay back his £5million loan, and show no sign of doing so, even though settling the bill would considerably loosen the hold he has over the club.  Whilst the squad cull at the end of last season has reduced costs, have they really made enough from 30,000 or so season tickets to get through the season?

Time will tell.  I do know one thing, though.  In February 2012 I bet a work colleague £20 Rangers would be liquidated, and won.  In February 2015 I bet the same colleague £20 they wouldn't go up, and won.  This season, I don't think I will be betting against them.


Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007.  He has a life outside this blog.  Honestly.