The pain over the failure of #goingfor55 has spilt over onto the pages of the Daily Record today.
Writing in Paul Murray’s favourite newspaper Keith Jackson speculates over where the blame lies- with Mark Warburton, Dave King or both!
With Clint Hill the shining star of the summer recruitment programme and King making appearances less frequent than Philippe Senderos there is a cloud over the magic hat and the policeman’s son from Castlemilk.
While Warbo, who used to work as a city trader, and Davie Weir claim that they have signed their top two January targets the club is desperately trying to reduce the wage bill.
Starlets Fraser Aird and Tom Walsh were paid off yesterday, Michael O’Halloran is available on loan while Matt Crooks is trying to break into the Scunthorpe side the #goingfor55 squad is lying in tatters.
Unsure where to pin the blame Jackson sums the situation up with: “At worst, it’s provided Warburton’s critics – including his own chairman Dave King – with a stick with which to beat the manager.
“Which is why, one way or another, some major decisions will have to be made before the next transfer window opens for business in the summer.
“Warburton can argue strongly that, for the most part, he has been financially restricted to raking around in bargain barrels or in doing cut price deals for previously damaged goods.
“Accordingly, there is a bigger element of risk attached to each of his signings and, in such circumstances, it is perfectly normal to expect the success rates to suffer. He must turn green with envy when he looks across the city and sees how Brendan Rodgers rolls.
“While Warburton’s latest additions, Jon Toral and Emerson Hyndman, have been tied up on four month elastoplast loan deals, the Celtic manager has splashed out £2.8m on capturing another long-term project, Kouassi Eboue.
“That follows a substantial summer spend on Kolo Toure, Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele – all three of whom are believed to be taking home more than £30k a week in wages.
“These sort of sums are way beyond the reach of the current Rangers board and King and his regime will certainly not be strong armed or brow beaten into spending recklessly (perhaps because they have no lending facilities).”
Jackson adds: “Given this club’s recent history, nor should they hand over what they cannot afford but this does seem to be leading to impasse nonetheless. Decision time is looming, either for Warburton or for King. Or maybe for both.
“If the chairman has lost trust in the manager to spend what money he is given wisely, then King has little option left but to bite the bullet and appoint a man who he can before the summer sales begin.
“Conversely, if Warburton has lost trust in the chairman to properly fund his own plans, then he may decide that this job – of attempting to eat into Celtic’s dominance – is rapidly becoming an impossibility.”
Tickets are still available for Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie with Motherwell, despite 8,000 bears going to Leipzig less than 20,000 fans are expected at Ibrox on Saturday.
