Martin Bain Interview

[caseyjones 3,009]

As long as Bain is truthful with those answers and we are doing the best we possibly can as a club to work to the best of our ability within the budget to get the right kind of players,I don't believe we can ask for anything more.

Anybody who still whinges about us not signing players who want more than we can afford to pay them, is not living in the real world as far as I'm concerned.

Good read.

What happened to 'prickly questions' and 'a boot up his jacksie'?

[lancedeangers1 287]

After yesterday this has cheered me up a bit and reassured me that things aren't as bad as they seemed.

As long as we can hold onto what we have and add quality as stated then we'll be in half decent shape.

[Orangeclement 570]

its amazing what happens when you read SOURCED information rather than rumours and hearsay

[lancedeangers1 287]

Boyd refused to go for 3 Million in January, stayed and done f*** all for us after this and then refused 18,000 + 4,000 ? What a wanker...

[caseyjones 3,009]

its amazing what happens when you read SOURCED information rather than rumours and hearsay

It's also amazing when you don't view either as a complete fabrication or the complete truth.

[Muff 245]

These 'three' players have to be first team quality, ones who come in, and add to the first team, not just squad players. Whether we get them is another thing (I have my doubts) and I'm not too sure I agree with Walter Smith's interview the other day that we need one player for each position. We don't have any wide players, and if we are thinking about playing Naismith, Whittaker, Fleck or the likes out there, then it will be the same old. Playing Whittaker in midfield means Broadfoot at right back, and he should be nowhere near the first team on a regular basis.

Hopefully we can keep everyone who is currently at the club beyond this window, and add three - although I think we need more. We can't afford to lose anymore of our quality players, becauyse they will not be replaced.

Actions speak louder than words, so over to you Martin Bain, and Walter Smith!

At least Martin Bain has come out and spoken, better than nothing - even better for telling Kris Boyd to do one!

[Stu1993 101]

Id rather the three players where 2 wingers and a striker, we are solid in defensive cover IMO.

[gandhisflip 5]

its amazing what happens when you read SOURCED information rather than rumours and hearsay

It's also amazing when you don't view either as a complete fabrication or the complete truth.

A healthy scepticism you say?

Bain saying we need 3 "first-team" players but also saying we are struggling for a winger as every club in Europe is after one and have budgets of more than us. I'll believe the 3 quality additions when i see them.

GK - Greegs, Alexander BEST GK's in LEAGUE

FB - Whittaker, Broadfoot, Papac, Wylde OK - not the strongest

CB - Boogie, Weir, Webster BEST CENTRE HALFS IN LEAGUE

LM - Wylde, Lafferty Weakest area of team

CM - Davis, Edu, McCulloch BEST CENTRE MIDS IN LEAGUE

RM - Naismith, (Whittaker), (Davis) Again struggling here

CF - Miller, Fleck, Velicka, (Lafferty) (Naisy) (Fleck) Weaker than we were but still stronger than the Tims.

Looking at this we aren't too bad in comparison to the SPL. We have a really good spine. I'd put everything we have into a couple of guys capable of playing wide mid and a target man. Thoughts?

[wearethemighty 186]

Does this mean 3 players only to come in even if we sell more? This cnut lies out his arse!

[Big Laff's Dodgy Barnett 20]

would be better if we had aimed at more than 3 signings, i thought we should be bringing at least 4 in BEFORE we sold anyone, now imo we should be looking at 10 players in, which I know will not happen

[bombaybadboy08 15,660]

I just wish the club would come out and tell us whats happening.

[Ozblue 4,331]

As long as Bain is truthful with those answers and we are doing the best we possibly can as a club to work to the best of our ability within the budget to get the right kind of players,I don't believe we can ask for anything more.

Anybody who still whinges about us not signing players who want more than we can afford to pay them, is not living in the real world as far as I'm concerned.

Good read.

What happened to 'prickly questions' and 'a boot up his jacksie'?

That's what he would get if he was here....do you actually think he would answer "prickly questions"? I doubt it.

The questions he answered weren't the questions I would like to ask him BTW.

and I would still boot him up the jacksie for being an incompetent crunt.

[Right_To_Censor 1,951]

i'll wait till the end of the transfer before i think about suicide, we've been fooled before so i hope it doesn't continue.

[caseyjones 3,009]

As long as Bain is truthful with those answers and we are doing the best we possibly can as a club to work to the best of our ability within the budget to get the right kind of players,I don't believe we can ask for anything more.

Anybody who still whinges about us not signing players who want more than we can afford to pay them, is not living in the real world as far as I'm concerned.

Good read.

What happened to 'prickly questions' and 'a boot up his jacksie'?

That's what he would get if he was here....do you actually think he would answer "prickly questions"? I doubt it.

The questions he answered weren't the questions I would like to ask him BTW.

and I would still boot him up the jacksie for being an incompetent crunt.

I know what you mean. Still, Keith Jackson got a nice story without even having to think up any of his own questions.

[Amac9 2,060]

These 'three' players have to be first team quality, ones who come in, and add to the first team, not just squad players. Whether we get them is another thing (I have my doubts) and I'm not too sure I agree with Walter Smith's interview the other day that we need one player for each position. We don't have any wide players, and if we are thinking about playing Naismith, Whittaker, Fleck or the likes out there, then it will be the same old. Playing Whittaker in midfield means Broadfoot at right back, and he should be nowhere near the first team on a regular basis.

Hopefully we can keep everyone who is currently at the club beyond this window, and add three - although I think we need more. We can't afford to lose anymore of our quality players, becauyse they will not be replaced.

Actions speak louder than words, so over to you Martin Bain, and Walter Smith!

At least Martin Bain has come out and spoken, better than nothing - even better for telling Kris Boyd to do one!

Spot on

[Ozblue 4,331]

As long as Bain is truthful with those answers and we are doing the best we possibly can as a club to work to the best of our ability within the budget to get the right kind of players,I don't believe we can ask for anything more.

Anybody who still whinges about us not signing players who want more than we can afford to pay them, is not living in the real world as far as I'm concerned.

Good read.

What happened to 'prickly questions' and 'a boot up his jacksie'?

That's what he would get if he was here....do you actually think he would answer "prickly questions"? I doubt it.

The questions he answered weren't the questions I would like to ask him BTW.

and I would still boot him up the jacksie for being an incompetent crunt.

I know what you mean. Still, Keith Jackson got a nice story without even having to think up any of his own questions.

I would say that you are 100% correct in that statement, casey.

those "questions" would have been screened by Bain/Murray in advance of any interview being granted.

Those answers from Bain are meant to appease the average fan whilst being kept in the realms of reality regards our financial limit to buy players or offer X amount of pounds per contract.

The REAL prickly questions which are never asked and which we will never get the answers to are the ones that would scare the shit out of anybody thinking of investing heavily in our club,

It's like a business needing investors that keeps two sets of financial books....One for the potential investors and the other hidden in the dungeons.

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

Why wont the club come out and tell us what is going on ........

.its been hours now scince i first read that interview and things must have changed by now - why cant we be told what is happening!!

[caseyjones 3,009]

Why wont the club come out and tell us what is going on ........

.its been hours now scince i first read that interview and things must have changed by now - why cant we be told what is happening!!

Repost!

[ryan_rfc 24]

Glad Bain has finally gave a bit of communication with the fans.

[Zulu 981]

Keep them in the dark an feed them shite.

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

Why wont the club come out and tell us what is going on ........

.its been hours now scince i first read that interview and things must have changed by now - why cant we be told what is happening!!

Repost!

Ach I know - if your no fast your last! But I wonder how long it will take before there is yet another thread demmanding answers/communication/to be told the truth!

[minnbear 30]

Thanks to Bain for at least saying something, it wasn't much and we will have to wait and see if it's a lot a shite. People moan at the pishers and moaners, but I like to think that Bain and co. must occasionally take a wee peek in at forums like these to get an idea of the support's mood (and if they're still going to buy their ST), If it was all happy clapping then I don't think he would feel the need to say hee haw, plus if taking time to have a greet on here saves the dug from getting a boot, then its worth it for that alone.

[disgruntled_bear 157]

Q: Rangers supporters are concerned by the dwindling numbers in Walter Smith's squad. Do you have any particular message for them?

A: The fans showed faith last season in people who they trusted to get the club through a difficult time. We are now going through another delicate period and I would simply ask our fans to continue to have faith.

The fact is, the financial situation is vastly better than it was this time 12 months ago - thanks to the efforts of Walter and the team.

But we are still in a situation which needs to be sensitively managed and we have to work within certain parameters. The difference is this time we have been allowed a little more freedom to manage the finances and juggle things in a way we couldn't last year.

Translation: You just have to grin and bear it, the whole Financial situation is getting better card has been played before. Yet the player Exodus and nobody on the horizon coming in still remains.

Q: Are you close to making any signings at this stage?

A: No. At this stage we are not close to completing anything. But we did offer nearly £2million to Burnley for Chris Eagles. I just wasn't prepared to bow to those kind of wage demands. But that was proof we do have money and we are active in the market.

I have spoken to clubs about another couple of players and have been given indicative values. But Walter and I are watching how the market develops. We are not going to let this go on for ever but it is also extremely difficult to land a player in the current climate. The Eagles episode proves that.

A boy from Burnley who didn't want to sign for Rangers? These players know they can make more money away from the SPL and that makes it difficult. But we will make sure we buy the right type of players. Neither myself or Walter will go down the route of signing the wrong players as a knee-jerk reaction. All we ask is the fans have a little bit of faith.

Translation: We are getting priced out the market, gives us plenty time to still string us along in the coming weeks.

Q: Does Walter Smith feel he can maintain a level of competitiveness with a squad of only 16 players?

A: It is not ideal. No-one is saying it is and injuries and suspensions then become a major concern.

But it will give younger players a chance to come in and show what they can do. What Walter has proved in abundance is he can get the best out of a solid core of players. We have a solid core of players who want to play for him. If we can just bring in three quality men for key positions it will give everyone a lift. But it is going to be difficult.

We want to bring in another two or three players of real quality. We want another Steve Davis - players who improve the quality of the team.

It would be wrong for me to say we are going to bring in another three Steves. But what I am trying to do is find three quality players rather than five or six squad fillers. That would be the downfall of the football club again.

Translation: He's playing the "in Walter we trust card" if nothing changes, imagine if Walter wasn't here and he said this with McCoist in charge we wouldn't be sitting back and believing this shit.

Q: Do you intend to sell MORE players this summer then?

A: I am not going to say more sales are inevitable. That would only set alarm bells ringing. But I also don't want to treat our supporters as if they're stupid. They understand our situation. We are not promoting the sale of any player in our squad. We want to keep them all and add a bit of quality.

But you never know the intentions of some players. If it is their intention to go - by hook or by crook - inevitably they end up doing so.

But if that's the case I will ensure we get maximum value. What I won't do is allow them to leave at the last minute of the transfer window without getting the right value for the club.

We got good value for Wilson - a player who wanted to go. Anyone looking at that deal in isolation would agree we have done well there.

I accept the problem we face at the moment is that this appears to be becoming a trend.

Translation: Expect more to leave, but it's not our fault it's the greedy players fault. You really do have to applaud Bain yet again he really should be a politician with all these body swerves.

Q: You have an agreement with Lloyds Bank. Is it simply a matter of reducing the overdraft by £1m a year as had been previously stated?

A: There is no schedule to bring the debt down by a million a year. The bank wants its money back and has simply set us parameters which, although tight, have not handcuffed us.

They are just difficult circumstances but we can work within them.

The debt has come down but we are still paying for past transfers. That means, if we make £10m it doesn't automatically come off the total of our debt. It is still too high but it is becoming more and more manageable.

Translation: This is worrying, saying there is no schedule is going back on what the club was saying not that long ago. Yet again the club is changing the goal posts to keep us at Arm length.

Q: What about external investment? Have you shelved the idea of finding a new buyer for the club?

A: I would be completely wrong to shelve any kind of avenue which might bring investment into the club. But the ownership side of it is a matter for David Murray.

David would still say he is not going to stand in the way of the right people - people who could improve the welfare of Rangers.

My own take is I fundamentally believe that if Rangers is to maintain the stature that it has throughout the world and in the Scottish environment then outside investment is needed urgently.

There are other clubs across the planet who face the same problems. The difference - the thing that makes Rangers unique - is that we have a responsibility to continue to compete for trophies. We wholeheartedly accept that responsibility.

Translation: This is classic us, I'm not a liberty to say Sir David Murray is. But it's all right cause were still winning trophies.

Instead of us getting some clarity on our situation, were just back to same old place we were at. Being patient and not getting anywhere.

[Scott-RFC 308]

Good interview from Bain, clears a few things up, and I for one have full faith in the work going on behind the scenes

[deleteduser1 169]

I said in a previous thread that we can't win the league will our current squad and we need at least 3 quality players to give us a realistic chance of winning 3 in a row so it was reassuring to hear Bain agrees with my concerns and the club are actively looking for these players.