The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Former Gers midfielder Henderson knows fortunes must be spent soon
Former Rangers midfielder Willie Henderson believes a £50million upgrade is needed for the Ibrox club’s squad to have any chance of competing with champions Celtic.
The Light Blues were brushed aside 2-0 in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park by the Hoops who can complete a domestic treble with victory against the Dons in next month’s Scottish Cup final.
The Parkhead club secured its sixth Premiership title in succession earlier in the month and are chasing a treble in their first season with Brendan Rodgers as manager.
Henderson, who played for the Ibrox club in the 1960s and early 1970s, was speaking at the national stadium where he was helping launch this year’s nominations for the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.
The former Scotland player was scathing of Rangers’ efforts on Sunday and said: “Supporters at least expect an enormous effort from players wearing the blue jersey.
“They accept Celtic are a better team just now, but they shouldn’t be a better team in terms of effort and that was very disappointing for the supporters who have put up with a lot for a long time.
“If Rangers are going to compete with Celtic, there has to be a huge investment in the club to purchase players who are going to be of a standard who can play for Glasgow Rangers and compete with Celtic.
“£50million, solely for players. It might be an idea for another investor, if there is another investor who could be brought into the club who is interested in putting money into football. It is certainly needed.
“I am not privy to anything that goes on in the business side, but if it is going to take someone else to be added to what is already at Rangers, prepared to invest the money in the club, then maybe it is time that the board discuss it with other people.
“There is going to be the same situation if they don’t do that.”
Henderson believes it is more than half a century since there was such a gulf between the two clubs. Ahead of the last league meeting of the season between the clubs at Ibrox on Saturday, he said: “We played Celtic on the Saturday in the 1963 Scottish Cup final and drew and on the Wednesday we beat Celtic 3-0 in the replay, in front of a quarter of a million people in total.
“At that stage there was a huge gulf between Celtic and Rangers. We were far in front, but then along came the genius Jock Stein (Celtic’s European Cup winning manager).
“The gulf today is the same as before Jock Stein came.
“We were always very confident of beating Celtic.
“Today, I don’t think there is a Celtic player who, if they put a shift in, would fear getting beat by Glasgow Rangers.”
Henderson believes any manager, not only the recently appointed Portuguese coach Pedro Caixinha, would struggle with the Ibrox squad of who he would keep only three or four for next season.
He said: “There are a lot of players at Ibrox who, for a considerable time, have had a chance to prove themselves to be of that class and I am afraid some of them are not that good.
“Kenny Miller has had a really good season. He would be the first to admit he is getting on but with his experience I would keep him on,
“I would keep the goalkeeper Wes Foderingham, defender Lee Wallace and Emerson Hyndman.
“They are good players. But Rangers would certainly need to add to the squad. It is all very well bringing managers in but when Jock Stein came in, players such as Jimmy Johnstone, Tommy Gemmell and Bobby Murdoch were there.
“Rangers don’t have players of that calibre just now, for any manager coming in, to be able to improve the team that much.”
“Rangers don’t have players of that calibre just now, for any manager”