Dan Plumley

Tue 3 October 2023 19:10, UK

We’re delighted to welcome football finance expert Dr Daniel Plumley as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Rangers...

Dan Plumley has insisted it was no surprise to see Rangers sack Michael Beale early in the season with Celtic pressure and financial risk two big factors.

The finance expert admitted that there will have been a financial payout to relieve the Englishman of his duties, but the pressure became too much in the end.

Plumley admitted that missing out on the Champions League was a blow, but sitting so far behind Celtic already is something that fans will not simply accept.

“I think particularly in Scotland with Rangers and Celtic, you’ve got two sides to that argument,” he exclusively told Ibrox News.

“You’ve got the financial risk and reward, not making the Champions League was a blow, the Europa League cushions that a bit, but then you’ve to go again and get back into the Champions League.

“Already being behind Celtic in the league situation, you don’t want to fall further behind and that has financial implications based on where you finish in the league, the other side of that is it’s Rangers and Celtic, and what fans don’t want to be is way behind Celtic, you’ve got to show as a manager that you are pushing them all the way.

“Rangers have had that success in recent years that they haven’t had over the years because of the financial situation and you get used to that again and none more in that league and the clubs, you can’t be falling behind Celtic for a number of reasons.

“Going full circle to any financial payout, for sure, there is a financial situation that the club is balancing, but that risk and reward of the financial implications of doing so and because it’s Celtic, you can see why the decision has been made early to try and buck that trend.”

In other Rangers news, Plumley has insisted that the club can argue they have missed out after a £900m+ deal was signed off elsewhere