January transfer business: a Rangers fan's assessment

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Maurice Edu© SNS

Fans of SPL clubs have now assessed their squads after the dealings of the January transfer window.

In January we asked fans what they hoped for from the window, now we see if their teams delivered. Stewart Franklin from Rangers Media gives us the lowdown.

How do you think your club did in the January window? Was there one standout piece of business that your team made during the window?

With a variety of players leaving (including our best striker) and only one player coming in, it has not been a positive window. Clearly, as I highlighted previously, we were always going to have to reduce costs while trying to remain competitive on the pitch. As such, the sale of a key playing asset was inevitable. Unfortunately, as the loss to Dundee Utd on Sunday showed, there is a fine line between reducing debt exposure and leaving yourself short of people who can score the goals to win games. Leaving ourselves with only one fit recognised striker was always going to be a risk - we can only hope it's a successful one with respect to our league title challenge.

Is there one player that you are pleased that your team managed to keep hold of during January?

I guess we can be pleased that we didn't lose Maurice Edu who has arguably been our best midfielder this season. I shudder to think how much worse we'd be without his recent efforts.

Which team, other than your own, looks stronger after the January window? Any that anyone else made that you'd have fancied?

Our immediate comparisons are understandably with Celtic who have added to their pool while we've cut ours substantially. As such, it would be churlish not to concede they look stronger on paper. The pressure is now all on them to fulfil their own fans' expectations given their status as title favourites.

Has the business that your team has done changed your expectations for the season?

Although the loss of Jelavic does mean we're short in attack, we still have Kyle Lafferty to return which should go some way to giving us a better presence up front. If we can increase morale and avoid further negative financial sideshows, then we can still keep Celtic honest in the title race. We can win the SPL but I think we have to be honest and say our expectations will have diminished slightly.

Do you think the business your team did during the window will help or hinder crowds at your home games?

Rangers fans are amongst the most passionate and loyal in the game. A less than positive transfer window won't change that and even if we do struggle to retain the title, we'll be back next year to support the club as we did during other difficult times in our history.

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