Alex McLeish takes aim at Rangers recruitment as de Boer and co show him something new boss won't have
11.10.2023 - 05:29
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
More than two decades have passed since Alex McLeish was invited to plant himself in the Ibrox hot seat and reassemble the remains of a crumbled campaign.
It’s the kind of offer Philippe Clement or Kevin Muscat may find themselves having to weigh up in the coming days. But that’s where the similarities with the scenario Big Eck was met with in December 2001 end. Yes, the 11-point deficit he inherited from Dick Advocaat was even more grim than the seven-point gap Gers’ new boss will be stepping into. But while McLeish had top-class operators like Ronald de Boer, Arthur Numan, Lorenzo Amoruso, Stefan Klos, Claudio Caniggia and Shota Arveldaze to turn to, Michael Beale’s replacement is going to have to make do with far more meagre resources.
The likes of Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers simply don’t measure up to star names the Light Blues used to boast. McLeish said: “When I got the call from David Murray I felt I was absolutely ready for the job. I had so much energy at that time. I felt I could really work with those players Dick Advocaat was leaving me – all those world-class players! But I think today’s job it’s bigger. It doesn’t look as if recruitment has worked.
“When Ange Postecoglou was at Celtic he signed quick players who could burst through the backline and soon enough you could see what he wanted to do. If you compare Rangers’ recruitment to Celtic’s, it’s not been at the same level. The dynamism isn’t there.
“Look at the recent Old Firm game. You have two rookie Celtic players in central defence but Rangers didn’t lay a glove on them. Imagine what Ally McCoist and Mark Hateley would have done, or de Boer and Mikey Mols, or big Dado Prso. These guys would have sniffed it out in a moment.”
It didn’t take him long for
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