The buzzing legendary Ibrox captain shared his excitement after our exclusive in his latest Record Sport column
I’m trying my best not to get carried away. But it’s difficult. Because, from the moment the Daily Record broke the news about the San Francisco 49ers and a possible Ibrox takeover, I’ve had the feeling that this might be the chance to Make Rangers Great Again.
Like I say, there’s still some way to go before the Americans have got this deal over the line. And it’s natural to feel a bit wary until the deal is over the line because these things are never done until they are done. But, over the last 24 hours, I’ve been looking into what this might mean for my old club and I must admit, I’m excited. This doesn’t feel like pie in the sky. It feels like the real deal – and anyone with any connection with Rangers knows it’s exactly what the place has been crying out for.
We all know there needs to be fresh investment. It’s blindingly obvious. Let’s be honest, we’ve just sat watching our team getting knocked out of the Scottish Cup at home to Queen’s Park – then turned on the telly to see Celtic coming within seconds of beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League. If ever there was a week which summed up the size of the gap between the two clubs then I can’t remember it.
It’s felt like very dark days for Rangers and their supporters. You’re constantly asking yourself, ‘How on earth are we ever going to be competitive again?’. And then all of a sudden this story drops out of the sky and the answer to the question is staring you right in the face.
Does it feel a bit too good to be true? Of course it does. And that’s why I’m cautiously standing back and waiting to see how it pans out from this point. The last thing we need is for it all to fall flat on its face and for us all to back at square one again.
But all the indications seem to be saying that these talks have been going on for a good while behind the scenes. This hasn’t just happened overnight. It seems the American consortium has been speaking to people at Rangers since around December time so this whole thing has been a couple of months in the making already.
The discussions have now reached an advanced stage and, yes, that just builds this sense of excitement about what might be to come. When the Record broke the story I went straight onto my iPad to do a bit of my own research. I looked into the 49ers Enterprises – what they do, what they are trying to invest in and what they have already put into practice at Leeds United.
The evidence is there. They saw Leeds as a huge club that had fallen on hard times by dropping out of the English top flight. So they have picked them up, put some serious money behind them and now they’re looking in a very strong position to return to the Premier League. It’s not been a case of reckless spending either. They haven’t thrown ridiculous amounts at it in the hope of buying their way back up.
No, they have been rebuilding Leeds from the ground up. Yes, they have spent big in Championship terms because they have the financial resources to do so. But it’s been sensible stuff. It’s been well thought through. And, quite clearly, it’s been working. That’s exactly the kind of approach Rangers need right now – owners with deep pockets and smart minds.
It does feel as if the club has been stuck in a rut for a long time now. It wasn’t that long ago that acting chairman John Gilligan came out and admitted the club needs fresh investment from the outside. The new chairman, Fraser Thornton, and the new chief executive, Patrick Stewart, have said much the same thing themselves since being appointed in December.
If they’re all singing from the same hymn sheet then it stands to reason that Rangers should be welcoming these Americans with open arms if this is as serious as it initially sounds.. And it’s not just money for transfers that’s required on the playing front. The whole infrastructure of the club needs a financial shot in the arm.
And this is at a time when Celtic have just pocketed £60m from one season in the Champions League. The accounts don’t lie. They are miles and miles ahead in terms of being cash rich. That’s why it’s so important that Rangers find a way to level the playing field and, by teaming up with a global sporting giant like the 49ers, they might just be able to do it.
People might ask why an NFL club would be considering getting involved in Scottish football. But I’d take a different view.
I’d ask this question, ‘Why wouldn’t they?’. I’ve been waiting for someone to make a move like this for a long time now because it seems obvious to me that Rangers are actually a great investment opportunity.
Let’s face it, they’re available for a relative snip when you consider how much it would cost to buy a team in the top leagues of England, Spain, Italy or Germany. And, unlike all of the clubs in these countries, Rangers are as good as guaranteed European football season after season. Yes, right now it’s in the Europa League but, even so, Rangers have banked in the region of £18m from that competition this season and that’s a significant amount of cash in anyone’s books.
So if the right people put the right plan in place to return the club to No.1 spot in Scottish football, the opportunities are massive. And I’m pretty sure that’ll be the motivation behind this potential buy out. Which can only be good news for Rangers. If this deal goes through then the first priority will be to win back the domestic title because that’s what the whole business model will be based on.
If any investor wants to maximise their returns, it means getting into the Champions League. And that means knocking Celtic off their perch. That’s certainly music to my ears and I’m pretty sure almost all my fellow fans out there will be feeling the same way.
It’s time to Make Rangers Great Again. Let’s hope these are the people who really can make it happen.
