And so the first hurdle has been overcome, but has any championship win been greeted with less fanfare?
The mood amongst Bears traipsing out of Montrose on Saturday was a mixed bag of frustration, anger and a collective sense of acceptance of supporting one of the worst sides in the club’s history.
Three hours later though, a defeat for Queens Park meant the Third Division was secured and to be fair it is only correct to congratulate Ally McCoist, his backroom staff and the squad of players on their success.
It is difficult though to pinpoint any major highs on Rangers road to the title win. Victories were achieved with more grit than anything else and perhaps what will be remembered in years to come will be the losses at Stirling and at home to Annan.
On the park only Lee Wallace, Lee McCulloch, Andy Little and David Templeton can come out with real credit whilst the emergence of Lewis Macleod and to a lesser extent Barrie Mackay and Robbie Crawford have been positives.
Of course it is strange to criticise a man who has just led a side to a title, but for a large proportion of the fan-base this season has been a missed opportunity.
Yes, ultimately the main objective of 2012-13 was to win the championship, especially when you remember that it was less than a year ago that there were real fears Rangers FC would ever play a football match again, but the manner it was done has been far from pleasing on the eye.
With a squad of full-time professionals working at the best training complex in the country Ally McCoist has had at his disposal the tools to create the template of a team that should have produced a fast flowing, passing style of football that would have easily dismantled their part-time opponents.
Unfortunately that has not been the case, watching Rangers this season has been a struggle and whilst fingers must be pointed at underachieving players it falls on Ally to get the best out of them and he has failed to do so.
Its concerning that questions continue to be raised about his tactics such as playing players out of their best position and sending sides out with just one lone striker.
And there is his track record in the transfer market which can be described as patchy to say the least.
Only Bocanegra, Wallace, Aluko and Templeton can be considered as good acquisitions, there have been far too many poor signings which raises questions about his trust in the scouting abilities of Neil Murray.
It hurts Rangers supporters to find faults with Ally, he is a living legend and the way he has handled himself during the turmoil of the Craig Whyte fiasco, administration, liquidation and the rebirth of the blues has to be admired.
But in the opinion of this scribe, sadly, he is not the man to take the team forward.
However I’m confident he will be offered the opportunity of rebuilding the squad this summer with the likes of Jon Daly and Nicky Law likely to be part of a team challenged with winning the Second Division.
No doubt this year Ally will have learned a lot about himself, his assistants and the players so the hope is that next year if the team are to have taken another step toward the top of the Scottish game it will be celebrated with more gusto than the muted response that has greeted this Third Division win.
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Good article….without being too harsh. I too believe we have missed a golden opportunity this year to put our house in order for the future.
We have produced very little in the way of good young players in the past 10 years….since the first batch of youngsters were taken in fulltime to Auchenhowie with Jan Derks and the ‘Dutch Revolution’. Of that crop there are still a fair number playing at a very high level, Alan Hutton, Charlie Adam & Chris Burke to name but three…there are several others still plying their trades at a good level.
This season we could have looked more at developing and encouraging a revamped and improved better Youth Policy …..we could have employed the best coaches money can buy…as we can’t waste it on overpriced mediocrity this year….it could have been the foundation for the future and probably a far bigger step forward than any achieved thus far.
I fear next season with cash to spend…we will squander and waste it on mediocre players who like Sandaza will come for the big $$$$$ rather than the desire to play for a club on the up and play for a club rebuilding from the ground up. Rangers are no longer a huge draw or attraction to ‘top’ players…but we can produce and nurture talent. Look at what Athletico Madrid have achieved with very little funding….sure they have one or two top quality players….but the bulk of their squad are from the ranks of their development policy and youth programmes. It can be a long haul but it would be a worthwhile investment, if started this year we could be looking at a few more joining the McKay’s, Aird’s, Crawford’s and McLeod’s who have been given a chance this season.
The fans have been superb this season and have turned up in fair numbers….but crowds have been on the wane as the football failed to improve, from average at best to down right pathetic. Punters will support the team no matter what league they are in….but punters need to see an improvement in the standard and need to see a direction and style of play conducive with the funding and facilities….fulltime and well paid should mean stronger, fitter and sharper….I leave you, the reader to see if any of those were evident in our Championship winning side of 2012-2013.
We as a club need to improve in a number of ways, lets not get into the trap of throwing good money after bad in the hope that we get better…lets look at the long term future and well being of this great club….starting from now we have the next hundred years to look forward to…what should the legacy of this be? My hope is the powers that be will engage with the fans…listen to their concerns, hopes, aspirations and wishes and act accordingly. We have lost much the past year….lets not lose the chance we have been given to build the club back, bigger and better for all the right reasons…not just because he have more money than most
Good posts , not the usual We Are The People , No One Likes Us Etc . The first objective in winning the Division has been achieved , not with style or seeing much promise in the future of the “youngsters” , but if it is part of the long term plan its OK . Get in the journeymen (albeit at inflated wages ) and in tandem bring on some of the youths . Their time will come if they are good enough but don’t rush them , keep them gaining experience until Rangers are ready with quality experienced players to resume their place in the top flight . It may cost Millions but it has to be Millions spent wisely , not always our strong point
I am a celtic fan and at the start of the season I was delighted that Rangers had been relegated to the 3rd division for the financial mis-dealings of the club’s management.
I always felt sorry for the fans who had been drip-fed half-truths and downright lies by the old guard.
But one word sums up the domestic season form me – BORING. We have struggled to deal with the loss or Rangers – the league has been won but through graft rather than skill and panache.
I look forward to seeing Rangers back in the Premier League, but they must earn the right to play there, not be fast tracked into the league because of who they are.
One last wee point – I fear that Mr Green is not the saviour of the club he makes himself out to be. After all he has not put a penny of his own money into the club, and the share issue was paid into a holding companmy, not into the club.
He needs to be far more transparent in his business dealing within the club – not the usual rhetoric.
Has everyone forgot how the season began. We had to pick through the bones to get a team together. We had no pre season. We had to make do with what we had. So dont forget. We won this league with bits and pieces from the original team, the youth players and freebies.
Before we went into administration, Ally had us top of the SPL by a large margin. Lets give the guy a chance to have us back at the top again.
Errr, no we weren’t.
Ally had chucked a 15 (12) point advantage by the middle of Dec 12. Admin was the 14/02.
I keep hearing that as an excuse, it’s not true.
Yes good article and agreed that McCoist is NOT the man to take the club any further. At the start of the season the football in general terms wasn’t very good but at least at Ibrox there were plenty of goals. As the season has progressed Rangers have been torture to watch home and away. McCoist looks lost on the touch line, tactics are non exsistent, players looks disinterested. He was the man ‘LEGEND’ to lead the club thru the turmoil Whyte inflicted on us but with thanks to him it’s time to walk away rather than be sacked.
You dont take a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
No we didn’t forget where we were last year, that’s why the posts have been sensible. Ally is and always will be a legend and one of the all time greats. He has endured a huge amount pressure since we went into liquidation and for that we will be eternally grateful.
We need to look forward and need someone who can take us to where we should be, I have seen nothing in the past two seasons to suggest Ally can do that. Don’t forget John Greig was a legend too but a honkin manager. . .the two do not always go hand in hand sadly.
The time is right for a change of tact for all the reasons in the article we have read and commented on.
Sound article in general, but I do feel the opposition to Ally McCoist continuing as manager within the fanbase is greatly underestimated. I can think of only one within my own circle who believes he deserves to remain, whilst I believe,for entirely football reasons.that it is time for a parting of the ways.
That is neither ungracious or ungrateful. It is simply a recognition that where it counts, on the field of play.,Ally is not delivering, and I would further argue this was clear before the advent of administration and subsequent events.
I would go further and argue that financially the club cannot afford to persist with someone whose signings have, in the main, been woeful, and whose inability to change the course of a game has been conspicuous all season! Football fans are notoriously fickle.
And Charles Green is a ruthless man. I detect signs that he is far from happy with the football side of things; he has dealt swiftly and decisively with Neil Murray and Fran Sandaza. If season ticket sales are sluggish – and that might well be the case for a variety of reasons – and if relations with the manager are as poor as is suggested in Neil Alexander’s account of his contract debacle, I would not be surprised to see a new man in charge next season.
And I do not believe there would be huge fan outrage if that proved to be the case!
“real fear less than a year ago that Rangers FC would ever play football again” What planet are you living on, Rangers FC where liquidated and the assets sold to a new club,EVERYBODY knows that,Sevco van NEVER be Rangers-EVER.
McCoist must be sick of reading how shit he is! This is the man who refused to walk away when all around him were and yet many of us would give him the boot at the first opportunity! Let’s conduct ourselves a bit better than Mr Green has with Sandaza and see what Ally does once he is working in a stable environment. The pressure on him for the last 18 months has been unimaginable and we should be offering our congratulations. As for the sour taste in the mouth; sorry, there are plenty in Scottish football who leave me like that but Ally and the team certainly don’t.
well said Big Rab fae Wee Rab and dont forget everybody writing and saying it must be better next season !! We will be starting the new season at a disadvantage with the same young team due to the signing ban that we received for Not doing anything illegal !!!cmon Gers fans give Ally and the young lads chance stop with all the negativity onwards and upwards
Rab…no one is even questioning Ally for what he did….what we are questioning is whether he is the right man to move the club forward….my opinion is no and that’s why I posted. I cant change the what happens but I am free to voice an honest opinion…Ally is a legend in everyone’s eye…and rightly so….is he the man for the job? Personally I don’t think so but boy I would loved to be proved wrong!!!!!
It’s all about opinions Gord but the truth is that right now we don’t need an Alex Ferguson. For that reason Ally should be given the opportunity to prove himself. I think that if it is beyond him he will not need anyone to tell him to go. Like you, I want him to be a success and I think he can be but time will tell.
Wondered how long it would take for one of our Irish cousins to have their say, didn’t take long, they cant see a discussion without jumpin in haha andas anticipated its the usual drivel haha