WHAT do you buy the team who have everything? How about Paul Gascoigne for starters? Glasgow Rangers, supremely dominant in Scottish football for seven years, are on the verge of signing the mercurial England midfielder from Lazio. And according to their assistant manager, Archie Knox, the temperamental 'Gazza' will not pose any problems for the seven-in-a-row Scottish champions. 'The most important thing about Gascoigne is that he's a good footballer,' said Knox. 'All we need is to get him on the pitch and playing well. He's in the stage of his career when he wants to win some trophies. I'm sure he'll strike up a great rapport with the Rangers fans.' Knox was speaking at Hong Kong Football Club after arriving yesterday as part of a five-man Ibrox delegation who are visiting the territory on their way to Melbourne in Australia.
Also here are commercial manager Bob Reilly and players Andy Goram, Charlie Miller and Neil Murray.
The Gascoigne transfer, if it goes ahead, will make the Geordie the most expensive player in Scottish football with a GBP4.5 million transfer fee. But such high-profile signings have become commonplace at the fabulously wealthy Glasgow club.
'With the Scottish League not being very strong it's not enough any more for us to win the title. We have to make big signings - the fans expect it. They need to see new faces every season,' said Knox. 'The supporters are looking for us to sign at least a couple of top-class players each season. These players are good for us and can be good for the whole Scottish game, too, such as when we signed Brian Laudrup last season.' Gascoigne will certainly not be the only signing the Gers make this summer.
They are known to be after Espanol striker Florin Raducioiu, too.
Rangers' seven successive league championships (along with two FA Cups and four League Cups including the treble in 1993) has led to claims that the standard of play in Scotland is not demanding enough. Knox doesn't dispute that. 'With Celtic not having done so well lately it's a blow to the whole of Scottish football. Ultimately, the challenge for Rangers is going to be Celtic. It was a big blow to lose Dundee United when they went down this season - a team with European pedigree. But at least Aberdeen stayed up.' Despite ruling the roost at home this decade Rangers' form in the European Cup has been poor, marked by early exits over the past six seasons with the exception of 1993 when they reached the Champions' League. 'When you look at Rangers we have a fantastic commercial set-up, we have a modern 43,000-seater stadium and we have a very successful team. But the tragic thing as regards Europe is we don't get seeded,' said Knox. 'Blackburn can be seeded straight into the Champions' League after playing one previous tie and losing it. We have to pre-qualify and that's a hard task. You get a good standard in the 16 teams who have to qualify. If we keep winning our league every year that should count for something.' For goalkeeper Goram this trip to Hong Kong is one he should have made last year. But the man who was manager Walter Smith's first signing from Hibernian in 1991 was transfer-listed a year ago for being overweight and club chairman David Murray cancelled their trip.
