Basic Mafia practice

SO, Chris Eagles will not be joining Rangers. I find myself distinctly underwhelmed by this news. As my late father, who singularly failed to pass-on the Hun gene to my brother and I, would have said: "Not an internationalist, not playing in the top league in his country - therefore NRC (not Rangers Class)".

Nothing in Eagles's playing CV led me to believe he had the X factor which we look for in big-money signings by either half of the Old Firm. A 24-year-old former Manchester United youngster who doesn't have a single England Under-21 cap to his name, is definitely NOT Rangers' class.

What worries me far more than Eagles not coming north - and the realisation that guaranteed Champions League football, the chance to appear fortnightly in front of over 40,000 fans and the probability of medals, cannot entice a player away from the second level in England - is the fact that Rangers, in their current financial position, cannot wean themselves away from this macho posturing of: "We have to be seen to be signing players".

Since Jean Marc Bosman won his landmark ruling on freedom of contract, no football team has needed to resort to the transfer market - other than in time of dire emergency. And given the relative strength (at least in domestic terms) of the Rangers' player pool, the club doesn't need to buy players.

If Walter Smith feels he needs a fresh wide player - let him field one of the crop of young players who has come through the Murray Park system. That should be his first option. If Rangers cannot field one or even two or three of the several Scotland age group internationalists on their player roster and still beat the majority of the other SPL teams home or away, then Walter isn't the manager we all think him to be.

Trusting the kids ought to be his first option, but, Walter never has been one for trusting kids - just consider his reluctance to play the young Barry Ferguson for instance.

His second option should be to utilise his connections via the Largs Mafia. If Sir Alex of the Govan family is "The Godfather", and Walter Capo di Tuti Capi in the heartland, then surely Walter has the political clout - after all he was for a time Sir Alex's consigliari - to get some young class acts on-loan from either Old Trafford or from David Moyes, the Scotia Nostra's big cheese on Merseyside.

Craig Brown did well on borrowings from Moyes last season. There are several full and Under-21 internationalists on the United payroll who would surely benefit from a season in the SPL - why cannot Walter pick up the telephone to Sir Alex and ease his concderns about squad depth that way, without paying out transfer fees, which the Rangers' bankers would rather avoid?

Option three would be to ask Martin Bain to earn his high salary, by having a database of players coming into the final year of their contracts, so agents could be contacted and Bosman deals set-up well in advance.

Or is football in general, and long-established managers of big clubs such as Walter in particular, so wedded to the transfer market, they will not change their way of working.

Because, believe me, when football's money bubble bursts, as burst it will, there will surely be a lot of blood on the tracks and the well-managed clubs with good youth systems and managers who can work the Bosman and loans markets will inherit the earth.