Mark Hateley suggests that Rangers should be patient with their rebuilding work.
Rangers’ Mark Hateley celebrates with the championship trophy and his daughter on his shoulders
Former Rangers striker, Mark Hateley, reckons that the Gers fans need to be realistic about the club’s current position.
While fans are clearly frustrated with Rangers for not being able to compete with Celtic, the Ibrox legend has called for patience.
It was only five years ago that Rangers were on the brink of extinction. The club is still on the road to recovery.
Hateley insists that recovery takes time, especially for a cash-strapped club like Rangers.
While there are genuine concerns about how much manager Pedro Caixinha will be given to spend in the transfer market to bolster the squad, Hateley insists the Portuguese will have to get more out the players he has inherited.
He says Rangers must learn from how Mauricio has worked wonders at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs have gradually developed under the Argentine and are challenging for the Premier League title this season.
New Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha during the press conference
“Just now is about forming a group of players who can go from strength to strength. Clearly the group at the moment is not good enough – most of them were signed to win the Championship and they delivered that,” said Hateley, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“But if you want to develop a squad you thank these guys for their service and gradually seek to replace them with players who can take the team on to a higher level.
“Look at what Mauricio Pochettino has done at Spurs. He has built a side over a number of years to make them challengers. They are still not a title-winning side but he’s getting there year by year.”
Hateley says that unless there’s some huge investment, there is little chance Rangers can compete for the title.
While there is an obvious need to make the squad better, but with not a great deal cash available, Rangers must set realistic goals and build on it gradually.
“There’s not a great deal of cash to be thrown at the team so we’ll have to look at what this manager can get from this group of players,” the former Rangers striker added.
“Of course we need to add players to make it a better squad but it’s no good wishing for something we can’t afford. Progress has to be little by little and fans have to be prepared for that.”
General view of Ibrox – Rangers
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