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Alan Rough discusses Rangers financial implications of no Champions League football
Alan Rough has highlighted the financial implications Rangers could face if they miss out on the Champions League after their 2-0 defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise.
The Gers face an uphill battle to reach the group stage as they welcome the Jupiler League side to Ibrox next week (9 August).
Rough has suggested that the board should’ve planned for missing out on qualification to Europe’s premier competition.
Talking on PLZ Football Show (3 August, 10m 23s), Rough said: “The only way this becomes a major headache is dependant on how the board operate.
“The board will either operate on having that money or not having that money.
“If they’ve included that money and said, ‘we’re going to buy him because we’ve got £40million coming’, then it’s a problem.”
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He added: “If they haven’t put it into their package then it’s a bonus.
“If the board have included Champions League qualification in the whole financial running of the club then it’s a problem.”
Sensible planning
Rough is wide of the mark on this one,
No competent board would financially gamble for the sake of qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League.
The Ibrox hierarchy would’ve planned for two eventualities and it is clear by Rangers’ spending this summer that they’re not pushing the boat out in terms of transfer fees, despite cashing in on some of their prized assets.
If the Gers can turn the tie around at Ibrox and then progress past either Monaco or PSV Eindhoven, then there is a chance that they will invest further in the back end of the transfer window.
Considering that Celtic are in the group stages already, qualification for Europe’s Premier competition is absolutely vital for Rangers to compete with their fierce rivals on a domestic front.
Champions League football generates a large income, and if Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side miss out, they will be playing catch from a financial perspective.
Rangers have more than enough quality to turn the tie around at Ibrox.
It’s looking like another special evening is required to drag the Gers through yet another European tie.
In other Rangers news, Chris Sutton has given an unfavourable assessment of the Gers transfer window.