RANGERS READY TO UNLEASH THE YOUNG DOGS OF WAR

July 16, 2008 - Daily Hun Newsdesk

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Murray Park is a hard place to find, Auchenhowie on the outskirts of Glasgow to be exact.

Tucked away from intrusive gaze, this state-of-the-art complex, offers the club’s players the very best in training and rehabilitation facilities.

Of more importance to the club is the fact that it also bases its new youth academy at Auchenhowie - a move Sir David Murray, the club’s chairman believes will provide huge benefits for Rangers’ future.

“Rangers are no longer in the business of scouring Europe for the very best, though obviously we are still keen to pick up any bargains, if they are to be had. Equally, we will not be held to ransom by greedy footballers and their agents who are trying to extort money by demanding ridiculous salaries.

The emphasis is on youth, Scottish youngsters who know and share the club and country’s culture are the way forward. Were we to bring in a crop of young Africans, we would be taking a huge gamble plus we would have a nightmare scenario with visas and immigration regulations. The red tape is horrendous and quite frankly, not worth the hassle”.

Murray’s words are echoed by club coach Ally McCoist, who fully endorses the dynamic entrepreneur’s words.

“We signed Kyle Lafferty for one reason and one reason only, he is young, quick to learn and is full of potential. He is a long term investment and given time and patience, will repay the transfer fee threefold. He will learn from the likes of Kenny Miller who brings a wealth of experience to the club, hopefully they can feed off each other. The 2.75 million for Kyle was by Scottish standards a lot of money but we are confident that we will see a return on our money.”

It’s only when we start talking about the Rangers youngsters who are set to be unleashed this season, that I see a steely glint in McCoist’s blue eyes;

“Look, I am telling you here and now we have some awesome talent ready in the wings and this season they will burst through and create genuine excitement in the Scottish football world. For example, John Fleck, Steven Lennon, Dean Furman, Craig McShea, Stephen Forbes, Kyle Hutton………..the list goes on and on and on.”

It’s evident that the Rangers strategy is based on sound financial judgement and given time and a slice of good luck, they could well prove the template for other Scottish clubs to follow. Buying big name foreigners can be a case of hit and miss, but sticking with home produced talent makes much more sense in the long term.

By Darrell Kling

Original by Steve Clark

Published by News Staff · Filed Under Latest