Michael Stewart blasts Rangers’ recruitment as pundit takes aim at club for allowing key star to leave

MICHAEL STEWART reckons Rangers should have plenty to be concerned about after the 1-1 draw with Motherwell.

And he certainly isn’t convinced about the club’s recruitment so far.

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New Rangers boss Russell Martin admitted his side were lucky to escape with a point at Fir Park.

James Tavernier headed the Light Blues into an early lead but Well took control of the game in the second half and levelled late on through Emmanuel Longelo.

Martin took aim at his players after the game, telling some of them to ‘drop the egos’ and calling into question the squad’s mentality.

The Gers, under new American ownership, have brought in eight new players this summer, nine if you include the permanent deal for Oscar Cortes.

But BBC pundit Michael Stewart certainly hasn’t been convinced about the recruitment so far.

Former Southampton boss Martin is trying to instil his own style of play into the squad and Stewart isn’t sure the new recruits have what it takes in terms of the intensity needed.

Speaking on Sportscene, Stewart said: “There’s too many players that just ball watch, they don’t partake in the game.

“Too many of them as the manager said, self preservation.

“When you’re on the ball and you want to play that open, expansive style you’ve got to have everybody looking for the ball, the same when you’re out possession, you’re all active.

“There’s too many players in the Rangers side that don’t do that.

“It’s the character as well.

“You look at the back end of last season, Barry Ferguson and his coaching staff, every week they went on about the mentality.

“But if you don’t sign the right players with that intensity then you’re never going to get that style of performance.

“You look at the players they brought in so far, I’m not convinced they’ve got that intensity in their game.”

Host Steven Thompson then asked Stewart about natural right-back Max Aarons, one of the new signings, being deployed at left-back instead.

Stewart reckons that highlights wider issues about the signing strategy at Ibrox and questioned why no deal was done to bring Vaclav Cerny to the club permanently.

The winger enjoyed a stellar campaign on loan from Wolfsburg last season but hasn’t returned to Rangers this season.

Stewart continued: “This comes to the bigger picture about what are you trying to do with the team?

“They had a fee and a deal in place to sign Vaclav Cerny.

“Now I appreciate the management structure wasn’t in place but somebody at that club has got to recognise that this is as good a guy as we’re going to get, he’s already in the buillding ,do the deal and sign him.

“Instead, you’re left with Kieran Dowell playing right.

“That’s just not going to…”

While the Gers have already added eight players, Stewart reckons it’s going to take FOUR more for the team to even be competitive in the league this season.

Winger Oliver Antman could be the next one through the door with the Gers looking close to sealing a deal for the Finland international.

Stewart said: “They’re going to have to be signing at least four starting eleven players for them to be competitive and you’re not convinced that what they’ve done so far is going to get them to that stage.”

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