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SPL June 2010
Scottish Premier League News June 2010: Smith to Stay at Rangers One More Season
Ali Hannah
Rangers
Walter Smith has agreed to a new one-year contract to stay on as Rangers manager next season, but the Ibrox boss is adamant that the 2010-11 season will be his last in football.
Significantly, though, Ally McCoist and Kenny McDowall - Smith's assistants - have agreed longer-term deals, which will pave the way for them to take over from Smith, with McCoist as manager, in 12 months.
The move by Smith represents something of a change of heart, as it was believed that in the past few months he had been privately growing in the conviction that he would leave at the end of the season. A hint, though, of Smith revising his thinking came last month when he went on record as saying that "all of a sudden the finality of retirement seems scary." At 62 the Rangers manager evidently feels that he has one more campaign in him.
And, with Rangers guaranteed Champions League football this season, there is a fresh challenge of playing against Europe's best while also trying to guide the club to a third successive title. It is also believed that after a private meeting with the bank, that Smith has been given an assurance that there will be some money made available to him to strengthen a squad that has not had a new player for the last 18 months.
"I'm happy to be staying on for an extra year, but that will be it for me next summer," he said. "My hope is that when I retire, Ally and Kenny will get their chance, though that won't be up to me. When it comes to the end of next season, I firmly believe that Ally and Kenny would do a great job, and I am glad everybody at the club shares that view.
"I have given this decision a great deal of thought. The next season will hold many challenges for everyone at the club and I would hope that with the backing of everyone - supporters, management and staff - we can pull together and achieve at least the levels of success we have enjoyed over the last few seasons."
Alastair Johnston, the Rangers chairman, added his voice of approval to the decision by Smith to stay on.
"Like myself, every Rangers fan across the world will be delighted by the football management team's decision," Johnston said. "I said when I took over that Walter and the chief executive, Martin Bain, were the men to run the club, and I am very encouraged that both will be at the helm going forward. Walter's continued presence was something I was determined to make happen, and Martin was instrumental in creating the environment that encouraged Walter, Ally and Kenny to remain on board."
One of Smith's first tasks will be to replace influential goalscorer Kris Boyd, who has played his last game for the Ibrox club.
The Rangers manager has revealed there is "no doubt" Boyd would depart after coming to the end of his contract, with clubs such as Birmingham able to offer "much higher" wages than Rangers.
Boyd, who has also been linked with Wigan, Newcastle and Middlesbrough plus Turkish clubs Kayserispor and Trabzonspor, has scored 165 goals for Rangers since arriving from Kilmarnock in January 2006 for just £400,000.
Speculation surrounding the 26-year-old's future reached the stage this week where Celtic issued a statement denying they had ever considered signing him.
Rangers supporters can now anticipate the arrival of another striker to supplement the likes of Kenny Miller and Kyle Lafferty.
Lafferty, who has long yearned for an extended run in his favoured central role, netted five goals in the last seven matches of Rangers' triumphant Clydesdale Bank Premier League campaign while Miller hit 21 in one of the best seasons of his career.
However, Smith will be hopeful that more players do not depart, with uncertainty surrounding his central defence.
Andy Webster has returned from a season-long loan with Dundee United but Danny Wilson looks set to leave amid interest from Liverpool and 40-year-old David Weir is yet to reveal his plans.
Algeria defender Madjid Bougherra has long been linked with a move away while Kirk Broadfoot is considering a new contract offer.
Smith has also seen Novo, DaMarcus Beasley and Stevie Smith leave since the end of the season.
Meanwhile, the Ibrox club have told Liverpool that they will not be allowed to take teenage defender Danny Wilson for a paltry fee. The Anfield club have had a £2m bid for the player rejected, with Rangers telling the Premiership club to up their offer.
Smith said: "We are currently waiting to hear back from Liverpool after we rejected their original £2million offer."
The Reds are aware that if Scotland's PFA Young Player of the Year stays at Ibrox and sees out the remaining year of his contract they would only have to pay Rangers around £650,000 in compensation next summer.
Livingston-born Wilson, who came through the youth ranks at Rangers, made his first team debut last October and went on to make 25 first-team appearances.
Tottenham are also interested in Wilson and Rangers chief executive Martin Bain admitted they rejected approaches from two English Premier League clubs back in January.
Meanwhile, Wilson's Rangers team-mate Madjid Bougherra insists he's now happy to stay at Ibrox after boss Smith signed a new one-year deal.
The Algerian defender had previously claimed he was keen to return to England this summer and made it clear Liverpool was his preferred destination. The former Charlton star said: "Walter signing his contract is better for me. He knows my style, he knows my game and he's been great with me.
"I am happy to stay and I will give Rangers 200%. I have two years left on my contract and I have not asked to negotiate.
"I have never asked for a contract and I plan to be back for pre-season training after the World Cup. I would prefer to stay and win trophies and play in the Champions League with Rangers than go to a club which can't give me these things."
Celtic
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has insisted that he and his fellow board members shoulder full responsibility for the Tony Mowbray debacle last season.
And Lawwell also admitted the failure to invest in the playing squad back in January 2009, when Celtic had gone seven points ahead in the SPL only to be pegged back, would haunt him for the remainder of his Celtic tenure.
That decision to gamble on the belief that what they had was enough to get over the line has been attributed by many fans as the catalyst for Rangers going on to win two successive titles.
And the loss of those championships cost Celtic dearly as they missed out twice on the automatic bounty that guaranteed Champions League football brings.
Mowbray was appointed last summer to take over from Gordon Strachan, but his reign lasted just nine months and ended in embarrassment after Celtic were thumped 4-0 by St Mirren and fell well off the pace of Rangers in the title race.
Celtic finished the season without a trophy after losing out in the Co-operative Insurance Cup to Hearts and then falling at Hampden to first division Ross County in the Scottish Cup semi-final.
"The board picked Mowbray," said Lawwell as he sat side by side with Neil Lennon at a meeting with 500 members of the Celtic Trust at the end of the season.
"Judgment mistakes were made. I'll take my share of responsibility as a member of the Celtic board.
"There were not many dissenting voices when Mowbray was appointed. Folk complained about Gordon Strachan's football so we got Tony.
"It didn't work for whatever reason. We have to move on and appoint the next manager who will drive us forwards."
However, Lawwell insisted that the failure to bring in new players last January was not through a lack of effort, or down to complacency on the part of the board, given the fact Celtic at that time had such a commanding lead in the SPL.
"That is categorically not the case," he said. "We take no account of Rangers. January 09 will be on my gravestone. We understood what it means to bring players in then to get that extra jag. There was no lack of effort that January. It just didn't happen."
Questioned on the scouting set-up and the futures of Aiden McGeady, Scott Brown and Shaun Maloney, Lawwell maintained the club would not wish to sell their best players this summer as they seek to begin a serious re-building job.
But he stressed everything is being done to ensure Celtic are capable of bringing in decent signings before they have made a massive impact in the game and their value has soared.
"We will not get rid of Aiden and Scott if we can avoid it," he said. "We invest £500k in our scouting. It was a different era under Martin O'Neill - we could scout via Match of the Day.
"We spent £40m is those five years and £45m since. But there has been hyper-inflation in the market.
"We went to the best clubs in countries that have punched above their weight and took their best ideas. In terms of the product we can all question it, but it's developing.
"Remember the last 16 of the Champions League and two-in-a-row. Let's not get carried away. We are not obsessed with debt. We can do no more than spend what we earn. We know what happens to clubs that don't. But we cannot buy top stars. We need to buy future stars."
It appears increasingly likely that Neil Lennon, who took over the Celtic managerial role when Mowbray was axed, will be given the job on a permanent basis.
However, the club have hinted that Lennon could be given the post alongside a more senior figurehead with speculation abounding in the Scottish press about just who that could be.
Lawwell told the club's supporters that the appointment would be "worth the wait," and indication that there is a big-name in the frame.
The news came after Giovanni Trapattoni, the Republic of Ireland coach, revealed he dismissed a recent proposal to take up a position at Celtic.
The former Italy and Juventus manager had been linked with an advisory role at Parkhead as Celtic prepare to make an announcement over their managerial vacancy.
Lennon's lack of managerial experience is seen as the only obstacle to his appointment with the introduction of an experienced director of football mooted as a possible solution.
However, Trapattoni insists he is committed to leading the Republic to Euro 2012 after their World Cup hopes ended in controversial circumstances against France last year.
The 71-year-old, who turned down an approach from Juve earlier this year, said: "It was not the Celtic chairman, but someone close to him, close to the club, a former player, who approached me three to four months ago and asked would I be interested in a position. But I say no, I am with Ireland."
Howard Wilkinson, the former Leeds United manager who was recently appointed interim chairman of Sheffield Wednesday, and Lennon's former manager Dario Gradi, who is back in charge of Crewe after twice moving to a director of football role, have also been linked with the position.
Scotland
Craig Levein would like to see as many Scotland internationals playing their football in the Premiership.
However, the Scotland manager insists that he has no intention of telling Kris Boyd to quit Rangers for a move to England's top division.
Boyd's Ibrox contract expires at the end of June and he has been linked with a number of Premiership clubs, while former Rangers striker Shota Arveladze wants to take him to Turkish side Kayserispor.
"I'm not telling Kris Boyd what to do or what not to do," said the Scotland manager. "He's had another good season and it's up to him to decide where he plays. If he's still at Rangers next year, he's playing at a fantastically high level.
"If he goes down to the Premier League, then, arguably, he's moving up a level. If he goes abroad, in recent history, some Scottish lads who have gone abroad have improved by doing so. "It's not my place to say who should go where or who should stay. The more Scotland players who are testing themselves every week at the highest level, then the better it's going to be.
"It's purely selfish. I'm not a club manager now. I'd love to see all our guys playing at the top level in the Premier League but I don't think that's going to happen."
Levein is taking a similar stance on Liverpool's interest in Rangers defender Danny Wilson but has expressed concerns if the 18-year-old sacrifices first team football for a major move.
"Again, I'm stepping outside my domain," said Levein. "That's for the lad and Rangers and whoever is after him to decide. What I do believe is players, when they get to 18, 19, 20, they need to play.
"If he was going to sit in a reserve team for four or five years and get lost…I firmly believe they need to play football. Again, I don't think Danny or his agents will be phoning me."
Levein has yet to hold talks with former Rangers captain Barry Ferguson about a potential return for Scotland. He has refused to give up hope of convincing Newcastle striker Andy Carroll of switching allegiance from England to Scotland.
"I'm tenacious when it comes to these things," he smiled. "We will wait and see what happens. I'm not in any hurry.
"I can understand the lad's position: he has been involved in the England set-up and it's quite right that he wants to see out his time in the under-21s. I can understand that.
"But I think it's about playing international matches and gaining caps. If the door does close on him for the first-team level at England, then we will certainly pursue it."
As Levein continues preparations for the forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers, Charlie Adam looks set to add to his four caps after playing a starring role in Blackpool's dramatic rise to the Premier League.
"Charlie, in the games I've seen him playing in since I took the Scotland job, has been Blackpool's best player," said Levein.
"I think that's widely recognised by the players and the management at the club.
"He has progressed enormously over the last year or so and he is now going to be playing on the biggest stage of all."
As for Adam's club-mate Stephen Crainey, Levein added: "I'll see how he gets on. I watched a couple of games and he did okay in the games.
"I'm not going to say he impressed me as much as Charlie Adam did, because he didn't. But he's a guy who I've known from way back at his time at Celtic and we will see."
Levein added that he will be relieved when Celtic appoint their new manager and he will no longer be linked with the job.
"I've just left the whole thing alone," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy where I am. Whatever happens there will resolve itself in the fullness of time and then you'll leave me alone."
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