No shortcut for Gers success

C eltic proved emphatically the gap between them and Rangers is as wide as ever as they swept their Glasgow rivals aside with ease to reach the Scottish Cup final on Sunday.

For Rangers fans it was a painful reminder of how far they have to go to get close to matching Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Rangers are trying to close the gap within months, not seasons, and because they don’t have the funding, they cannot buy the players necessary.

The result is what everyone saw on Sunday. Rangers going into a big game short of the level they need to be at.

Rangers are lacking the players who can handle the big games.

When I arrived at Pittodrie Aberdeen had slipped a couple of places in the league but in the dressing-room I had a back four, I had a team there which was solid. We needed one or two to re-energise it and we did that.

Rangers are nowhere near what I had. They are ripping up and starting again every summer and trying to skip a few levels when they don’t have the finance to do it.

There is no shortcut without substantial investment which is why all eyes are now on Dave King at Ibrox.

The chairman hasn’t come up with any answers thus far. The fans are doing their bit, but the board need to repay that backing to find the seven or eight players required.