'Bang On' - Hartson in complete agreement over what King has said about Rangers

John Hartson has backed Dave King over his claims about the gap between Rangers and Celtic being huge.

King has thrown his hat in the ring for a sensational return to Ibrox after John Bennett stepped down from his role as Rangers chairman and promised to help rebuild the side over the next two years to bridge the gap to Celtic [talkSPORT].

While doubts have now been raised over that, King disagreed with a previous comment made by Graeme Souness when suggesting the gap between the Old Firm rivals is not as big as many would believe.

And speaking on the Go Radio Football Show [17 September], former Celtic striker Hartson said: “I think [King] is bang on.

“I respect Graeme Souness for what he has done in the game. But what I would say is they are miles away on the pitch.

“You have read out Celtic’s bank balance, and what they have got and what they have spent. Brendan has said they brought in more money than they spent – which is remarkable from their finance team.

“I think a lot of people would envy how Celtic do their business. How they bring in players for very little money or through the system – you look at Kieran Tierney through the academy, Matt O’Riley, [Moussa] Dembele for £500k. Rangers need to change.

“They have to look at it from top to bottom and see if they are doing everything right – but clearly they are not at this moment in time.”

Rangers are a long way away from Celtic

It was men and against boys in the Old Firm clash between the sides before the international break with Celtic running out comfortable 3-0 winners at Parkhead.

The gulf of class between the sides could not have been more apparent, with James Tavernier – arguably the most gifted player among the current Rangers squad – receiving the brunt of the abuse in the aftermath of the defeat [BBC Sportscene].

King was in charge at the Light Blues during the last Scottish Premiership title win under Steven Gerrard, and while it seems the club are hesitant to reinstate the former chairman, his track record in overseeing success at Ibrox speaks for itself.

However, there seems to be one glaringly obvious flaw in his two-year plan – the South African has made no further reference to how he will achieve his ambitions while keeping the Gers financially sustainable [Michael Gannon].

It is all well and good to promise to return the glory days to Rangers, but without a plan in place, they are just empty words and further weaken his bid.

King has been accused of having an obsession with the Hoops [Keith Jackson] and if true, could lead to further long-term financial struggle down the road in pursuit of short-term success in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers need a chairman committed to the long-term, no matter how long it takes before the club can challenge their rivals again.

In other Rangers news, Steven Gerrard makes his Rangers return decision.

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