Eck Under Pressure

Last updated : 15 February 2004 By Rob the Ranger

It seems he is trying to get the traditional Rangers spirit into the mindset of the players as a last resort to turn them into winners. To me it all smacks of desperation most famously witnessed by Kevin Keegan when he infamously lost the plot with Newcastle. Surely McLeish should not be making public statements which not undermine his sense of authority?

At his disposal Eck has a squad of highly paid, mainly international, players who should be wiping the floor with most clubs in the SPL. Taking into consideration some of the fine sides we have had in recent years we may not have the best of squads at present but abject displays like the one at Pittodrie are simply unacceptable. If the players are not prepared to bust a gut while doing the simple things correctly(try passing the ball to man in blue shirt Michael Ball) then the manager should have no option but to offload them to be replaced by guys who can.

No matter what happens in the forthcoming Cup tie at Celtic this season should be written off as a watershed. The squad needs gutting. A radical shake-up of the squad must be done despite the financial mess we are in off the park.

Moore has not lived up to the captaincy with some poor performances. While watching Ball and Vanoli make me pine for the days of David Robertson and Numan. Ross has struggled but I'm not one of the lynch mob who have no faith in him. Nerlinger is good but constantly on the treatment table.

As for Ricksen I believe McLeish is at the end of his tether with him. Hopefully Fulham will come back for him this summer so he can be punted out as he is a liability on and off the field. It is a shame to see Mols as he is clearly past his best but lets be honest how many wanted him to go after his good season last year? Less said about Capucho and Ostenstad the better.

It's over to you Eck.