Source: Team_Talk
Smith will have cash to spend - Rangers
Rangers chief executive Martin Bain has revealed that plans are already underway for Walter Smith to bolster his squad ahead of the new season.[LNB] Bain warned that the Scottish champions no longer have the finances available to secure top players like Brian Laudrup or Paul Gascoigne.[LNB]But, following talks with the club's bankers, Lloyds Banking Group, cash will be made available for Smith to buy new players for the first time since August 2008.[LNB]Bain said: "My job here at the moment is to stabilise and go into a hugely important transfer window and bring in new faces and address some of the issues that we have not been able to address, and hopefully the supporters will see a squad that is ready for the new season.[LNB]"We would love to go out and sign the Laudrups and the Gascoignes but we can't do that.[LNB]"In saying that, we have a certain amount of money to spend and now it's up to Walter and me to spend that money as wisely as we can.[LNB]"We have agreed with Lloyds that we can spend some of the Champions League income and we also hope to maintain wage levels as they currently stand and reinvest any transfer proceeds that we might have.[LNB]"So there will be an ability to build a squad and acquire new faces which we have been crying out to do for a long time.[LNB]"I'm absolutely delighted, not just for the club but for the supporters, because it's been far far too long a period of not really understanding where we are going.[LNB]"Now at least we can communicate that we will rebuild the squad, the management team is in place and together there is no reason why we can't build on the success we have had."[LNB]Bain also warned that expectations will have to be tempered, but believes Smith is well equipped to continue to steer the club through testing financial times.[LNB]He told the club's website: "There are parameters within the agreement that we have and the plan that the board has agreed to and no-one is pretending that it won't be difficult.[LNB]"However, the way of the world is difficult right now given the current economic climate.[LNB]"You have to have the right people at the helm when you are in a situation like this and who better than Walter?[LNB]"We are in a much better place financially than we were before and that, to my mind, is down to the supporters who have stuck by the club through thick and thin throughout a period of instability.[LNB]"So we have come out of a difficult period - although we are not completely out of it yet - and we could be on an up curve as long as we don't create too much in terms of expectation.[LNB]"Collectively we need to move forward and anything the fans can do to stick with the club will undoubtedly help us build."
